NEW DELHI, Aug 9: After the devastating flash-floods that hit Dharali and Harsil in Uttarakhand, 816 civilians have been rescued by the Indian Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) till Saturday, according to a release.
The road access has also been opened till Limchigad, and the work on a 90-ft Bailey Bridge is in progress. According to the release, Saturday’s rescue air plan includes deployment of two Mi-17 and one Chinook from Dharasu for stores and personnel induction, with eight civil helicopters from Matli continuing civilian evacuation.
The Army managed to repair an optical fibre cable, meant for Army communication, which was damaged by flash floods and managed to restore mobile and internet connectivity in Harsil, the army camp base. Army signallers carried out the repair work amidst ongoing rescue-operation” rescue operations in Dharali, ensuring communication links for the area.
Indian Army canine teams have also been deployed to assist in search tasks in coordination with Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Zevar radar, and reconnaissance radars as part of the ongoing Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. The canine teams have been actively engaged in search operations for the past three days, significantly contributing to locating individuals and supporting overall rescue efforts in the challenging terrain.
A large number of supplies, rations and essential materials have been sent to the flood-affected areas in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi, an official said. At least six people have been reported dead, and 50 are still missing. The SDRF has been actively involved in the rescue operations, utilising state-of-the-art equipment, including a victim-locating camera and a thermal imaging camera.
Meanwhile, at least eight people were killed after a wall collapsed amid heavy rain in Delhi’s Hari Nagar on Saturday morning, officials said. The fire department received a call about the incident at 9.16 am, and three fire trucks were rushed to the spot along with police teams, the Delhi Fire Service said.
The exact cause of the collapse is yet to be ascertained, officials said. The national capital recorded heavy rain overnight, causing waterlogging in several areas. In the 24 hours till 8.30 am on Saturday, Delhi’s primary weather station at Safdarjung recorded 78.7 mm of rainfall, Pragati Maidan 100 mm, Lodhi Road 80 mm, Pusa 69 mm, and Palam 31.8 mm, according to data shared by the weather department.
(Manas Dasgupta)
