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Health drive in Vadodara as water recedes, 45 airlifted from Navsari

With over 5,000 people being rescued since Wednesday, five teams each of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been placed on stand-by

Health drive in Vadodara as water recedes, 45 airlifted from Navsari The view from an IAF helicopter, which responded to a call from the Relief Commissioner to airlift people marooned in the flooded village of Mendhar in Navsari district. Two choppers airlifted 45 men, women and children in four hours. (Express)

IN A major relief, the Vishwamitri river’s flow decreased two feet below the danger mark despite rainfall continuing in the city. As of Sunday afternoon, the river was flowing at 24 feet, against 36 feet on July 31. The Ajwa dam, however, maintained its level at 211.60 feet.

“Water has started receding in major parts of the city and even in areas close to the banks of Vishwamitri,” District Collector and in-charge Municipal Commissioner Shalini Agarwal said. “We have also started dewatering areas, wherever possible, through pumps.”

With over 5,000 people being rescued since Wednesday, five teams each of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been placed on stand-by. However, a total of 26 villages – including 19 in Waghodia and seven in Dabhoi – have been put on alert after 8,000 cusecs of water was released from the Dev dam situated in the Panchmahals district. “Teams have been placed on high alert and immediate rescue and evacuation was carried out. The residents have been moved to safer locations,” Agarwal said.

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Meanwhile, 3,172 employees of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) and the district administration are working on the restoration of the city and to survey people eligible for cash doles. Additionally, a total of 147 teams are conducting door-to-door health surveillance and of the 2.3 lakh people examined so far, 15,000 people have been referred to hospitals with complaints of fever, diarrhoea, and other ailments. The VMC has also deployed 450 vehicles to carry out a cleaning drive in the city.

Drinking water facilities have also been resumed in most areas, while 4.5 lakh litres of water have been provided so far through water tankers to locations where the facilities are yet to be restored. However, two villages in Padra and Vadodara talukas remain marooned. “We are in constant touch with the people there, our ground staff is coordinating with them. If required, we will airlift them. For now, we are able to reach them with the help of boats and the NDRF team,” Agarwal said.

IAF rescue 45 from marooned village

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The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Sunday airlifted a total of 45 persons from a marooned village of Mendhar in Gandevi taluka of Navsari district. Two IAF choppers were used in the rescue operation. The village was flooded from all sides and cut off from the mainland. The airlifted villagers were shifted to Surat and accommodated at a temporary relief camp.

Health drive in Vadodara as water recedes, 45 airlifted from Navsari IAF rescue 45 from marooned village

“The South Western Air Command (SWAC) had positioned medium-lift helicopters at nodal centres, including two helicopters at the Baroda Air Base to provide assistance for humanitarian assistance and disaster response at short notice. At around 11:30 pm, a request from the Relief Commissioner was received for rescuing personnel from Navsari district. The helicopters piloted by Squadron Leader Krishna and Squadron Leader Praveen Tiwari got airborne swiftly, rescuing 45 men, women and children from the flooded area. The operations took about four hours,” a press release of the Ministry of Defence said.

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“The NDRF and the SDRF teams could not reach the village. Initially, two choppers were sent and a total of 31 people were rescued. We were immediately informed that five more people were to be rescued, so we sent out our chopper again and we rescued 14 people from there,” said Ministry of Defence Public Relations Officer Wing Comm-ander Puneet Chaddha.

The situation in the district began worsening after the Ambika river began overflowing. As of Sunday afternoon, Ambika was flowing at 33 feet, against its danger level of 28 feet. However, by Sunday evening, the level started to drop, with the river flowing at 27 feet as of 6 pm. The district had received a total of 261 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours, but the flooding was caused due to heavy rains in the catchment area.

“The Ambika river was flooded because there was heavy rainfall in its catchment area, which is in Dangs and Saputara. In Dangs alone, 12 inches of rainfall was received in the last 24 hours. Since Dangs is a hilly region, the water runs off and floods the Ambika river. Now the situation will be brought under control, with the water level in the river receding,” Navsari Collector M D Moriya said.

So far, the district administration has evacuated flood-affected areas of 5,392 people and moved them to safer locations.

First uploaded on: 05-08-2019 at 05:26 IST
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