Sogane (Shivamogga)

The residents of Sogane village near Shivamogga are proud of the fact that Shivamogga airport is located in their village. But this sentiment shifts during the rainy season when a majority of their plantations are flooded.

During the construction of the airport, four tanks in the area were filled up. As a result, rainwater that used to collect in those tanks is released to the left bank canal of the Bhadra Reservoir Project, that passes close to the airport compound wall. When dam authorities release water through the canal to irrigate the command area, the canal overflows because of excess water released from the airport premises.

No way out for water

V. Manju, who has a plantation spread over six acres next to the airport, said the construction company covered the tanks as per the airport design and plan. “However, instead of making effective measures to handle the rainwater, they let the water reach the existing canal. The capacity of the canal is limited to carry water released from the dam for irrigation purposes. Now, between June and August, when it rains heavily, we face problems,” he stated.

Besides farm land, a few houses located close to the airport compound wall are also flooded during rains.

The residents of Sogane, Arekatte, Kachinakatte and K.T. Shamegowda Camp, all in Sogane Gram Panchayat, have repeatedly complained to the officers of Bhadra Command Area Development Authority (CADA) about the problem. According to the villagers, more than 180 acres of agricultural land are affected by floods. Many farmers have lost well-ground areca and coconut trees. The farmers want either the airport to have a dedicated drain to handle the rainwater collected on its premises, or strengthening of the existing canal to accommodate additional flow of water.

Letter to authorities

After receiving complaints, CADA Chairman Dr. K.P. Amshumanth visited the affected areas and interacted with the affected people.

“Based on their request, I have written to the Chief Engineer of Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited (Upper Tunga Project) and Superintendent Engineer of KNNL (Bhadra Project Circle) to resolve the problem,” he told The Hindu.

He felt that the problem could have been addressed at the time of planning the airport. “Nobody is opposed to the airport. People of Sogane parted with their land for the airport. But now, they are suffering,” he added.

Airport officials claim ignorance about the problem. C. Shamanth, officer in-charge of airport operations, told The Hindu that he was not aware of the flooding being caused by excess water from the airport.

The airport has been built on 775 acres of land at a cost of ₹450 crore. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 27, 2023. It handles flights to Bengaluru, Goa, Tirupati and Hyderabad.