When a marriage party rode a sugar pan

When the raging Koyna river lay siege to six villages in the Karad taluka of the Satara district on July 25, the residents were quick to turn to the local sugar industry for answers.

When the raging Koyna river lay siege to six villages in the Karad taluka of the Satara district on July 25, the residents were quick to turn to the local sugar industry for answers. For the villagers of the sugar bowl of western Maharashtra the huge pans used to boil sugarcane juice at the jaggery manufacturing units provided the answer.

Called kahils, there are about 4-5 such bowls that have been now pressed into service as boats over the past two weeks to cross Koyna. Made of iron, these vessels are about two feet deep and eight feet in diametre and can accommodate a maximum of eight people at one go.

8216;8216;These villages have been cut off for the last fortnight and they use kahils to cross to this side,8217;8217; says Sakurde village resident Pratap Patil. For Tambye and six adjoining villages these kahils have been their lone link with the outside world all these days. Thus, when Pramod Bhosale of Tambye village was faced with the prospect of cancelling his daughter8217;s marriage on August 3, the villagers decided that the barat will cross the river and make it to the marriage hall in Karad.

The marriage party, including the bride, made it in kahils. The barat took close to six hours to cover a distance which they would have normally covered in about 30 minutes in a van. But the marriage took place and the villagers returned a happy lot.

In normal times, these villages have access from three sides 8212; Sakurde village on Karad-Chiplun road, from Nisare on Karad-Dhebewadi road and from Tirpe on Undale side. In late July, incessant rainfall in the catchment area of Koyna Dam led to huge water discharge and the raging river submerged the three bridges there cutting off the six villages. The motorboats never worked.

The 20 jaggery manufacturing units in the area remain closed during monsoon and so the kahils are not in use. While the shape of the kahil enables it to float, there is always the danger of these cast iron vessels overturning as they are heavier than the regular boat.

Karad Sub-Divisional Officer Ajit Relekar denied that kahils were being used for transportation

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because the district administration has failed to provide a safer means of transport. 8216;8216;We have provided a

motorboat for the region. However,it can be operated only

if the water is at least eight-feet deep,8217;8217; says Relekar.