Kadapa sinkholes terrify villagers

 

A water tank sank into the ground on Saturday and around a dozen pits appeared close to the village, which houses about 70 families.

 

Villager Ramappa said that as the ground sank, the sound was so loud it seemed as if stones were being blasted.

 

An elderly villager, Narasimhappa, recalled a similar incident taking place 40 years ago. Recalling the filling of the Bugga Vanka project four decades ago, he said that many portions of the land had sunk from Bugga Vanka towards the village.

 

“It seems that the village was built over water bodies as a channel from Vanka existed. There are also dolomite deposits. There were no heavy rains in previous years; this time the ground water got recharged”.

 

Villagers meanwhile have been taking shelter in an ashram during nights and the district administration has advised evacuating the village to avoid untoward losses.

 

People started panicking after a water tank near an elementary school sunk on Saturday. Apart from the 10 foot-long drinking water tank sinking, two more big pits formed at a depth of about 10 foot in the village. No structures have been damaged.

 

Kadapa collector K.V. Ramana has initiated rescue measures. “A team of officials of all connecting departments were sent to the village to study the situation,” he said.

 

Officials from the groundwater, mines and geology departments have been sent to the village to study the situation.