Nanjangud:  Unable to bear the sight of his standing paddy crop submerged in water released from Kabini Dam, a distraught farmer attempted suicide at Nanjangud this morning. The wailing farmer entered deep into the water and tried to drown himself. Fortunately, he was saved by his sons and fellow villagers who were passing by the submerged fields.

The farmer is Basavaiah from Kupparavalli village in Nanjangud taluk. His field near Suttur village submerged yesterday as over 35,000 cusecs of water was released from the Kabini Dam. Hundreds of acres of land have come under the water at Kupparavalli and surrounding villages and Basavaiah had four acres and 20 guntas of land where he had cultivated paddy which is now completely destroyed.

Basavaiah had borrowed a loan of Rs. 5 lakh and had cultivated paddy and the crop was ready for harvest. He had planned to harvest the crop in a day or two. But as destiny willed, it rained heavily and the Kabini Dam reached its maximum storage capacity following which water was released.

According to the villagers, Basavaiah, who was yesterday shocked to learn that Kabini water has been released, visited his fields this morning only to find his crop turned black. The crop is of no use now as it will start decaying. Unable to bear the loss and not having any other means to repay his bank loan, Basavaiah entered the water.

He was, however, spotted by his sons and other villagers and was pulled out of the water.

One of the villagers shot the video of the incident and sent it to Varuna MLA Dr. Yathindra Siddharamaiah. The MLA has ordered officers from the District Administration to visit Kupparavalli village and assess the damage. The MLA too is expected to visit the village and announce compensation.