Outflow surges from 3,000 to 9,000 cusecs

Mandya: The sudden release of Cauvery water from the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam in Mandya district to Tamil Nadu, without any flood warning, left two people and six cattle stranded on an island near Ganjam in Srirangapatna taluk on Thursday evening.

The incident occurred after the discharge into the Cauvery increased sharply. According to reports, the river was carrying around 3,000 cusecs in the morning, but the flow rose to nearly 9,000 cusecs by evening.

The sudden rise in the water level caught cowherds Shivaraju and Nanjunda and the cattle grazing along the river off guard.

The six cows, belonging to a resident of Ganjam, were stranded in the middle of the river and were unable to return to the bank due to the strong currents.

Initially, the two decided to wait for the water level to recede. However, when the water did not subside, they called the Fire Station around 8 pm, explained the situation and sought help from their friends.

On receiving the information, their friends and Fire and Emergency Services personnel rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation with the assistance of villagers.

Darkness, strong currents and large boulders in the river posed serious challenges to the rescue personnel. The operation continued for several hours into the night. Using ropes, the rescue personnel first brought the six cattle one by one to the riverbank. Later, the two cowherds were ferried to safety in a rubber boat.

The rescue operation was carried out under difficult nighttime conditions, with Fire and Emergency Services personnel coordinating with villagers to ensure the safe rescue of all those stranded. The two rescued persons were later shifted to a hospital for medical examination.

The operation was conducted under the guidance of Fire Station Officer Ambarish N. Uppar.