A nine-month pregnant woman swam about 600 meters of Krishna river, to ensure medical help for her unborn baby.
The woman swam 600 metres of the flooded Krishna river, above, to get medical help for her unborn baby Reuters

Nine-months pregnant woman who was marooned by flooding has braved strong currents and rising waters to swim 600 metres to the safety of the mainland.

Yallamma Balappa Gaddi, who is nine months pregnant, swam 600 metres of the Krishna river in central-southern India so that she could receive medical help for her unborn child.

The 20-year-old took to the water from her village in Neelakantarayanagaddi, Yadgir with the help of her family and local divers.

Since the last two weeks, water from the Narayanpur dam has been allowed to flow into the Krishna, flooding villages nearby and cutting them off from the rest of the area, the Times Of India reported.

On completing her journey, the woman was taken to a health centre where doctors examined her and declared both mother and child safe.

Yallamma, who is now staying at her parents' house in nearby Gonatla village, said: "Considering possible constraints, I decided to swim with the help of my brothers and local swimming experts."

The district authority said that Yallamma and her baby's health would be their responsibility and all medical help would be offered to her.

The residents of Neelakantarayanagaddi have accused officials of never visiting the area and complain that they have no transport so must swim to nearby areas in order to purchase essential provisions.

Yadgir deputy commissioner Manoj Jain said that Yallamma would have received help if she had asked for it.

"The village faced floods every monsoon for the past 40 years, and the villagers are accustomed to swimming across the river, and hence Yallamma had taken such a stand," he said, adding that he had now instructed officials to look after the young woman.