What's happening in Koppa? Mysterious sounds & vibrations rattle villagers

Chikkamagaluru: Strange sounds accompanied by minor vibrations that seem to come from beneath the ground at regular intervals  in a few villages of Koppa taluk in Chikkamagaluru district have left people panic-stricken.

The villagers have grown more worried since the landslides in Kodagu, fearing they could be heading for a natural disaster too. “The sound from the ground lasts for a second or two and the vibrations are minor. Many people here have felt them. They occur repeatedly but at intervals. Sometimes they are heard once  a day and then again after a few days,” says Mr Shrenik Jain of Koppa.

A fortnight ago, Mr Ramesh Dikpal, a scientist from the  Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Committee ,visited  Koogre and other villages where the earth seems to be growling , but found no evidence to suggest that a quake was imminent and advised the villagers to remain calm, according to him. But their concern has only increased as the vibrations and sounds haven’t stopped, he says, urging the government to examine their cause and do something to stop them.

Responding to the fears of the villagers, senior geologist, Mahesh, says  scientists of KSNDMC, Bengaluru, have been told to do a seismographic study of Koogre village , which could take a  couple of months to complete.

“The earth is sometimes active beneath the ground and you could hear such sounds whenever there are landslips beneath. They usually disappear on their own over time,” he explains.