NDRF readies for Amarnath yatra with aerial surveys, sniffer dogs

Regular sorties in the upper reaches of the holy Amarnath cave and early deployment of canine teams for disaster rescue acclimatisation are part of the National Disaster Response Force's safety preparations for the pilgrims of the annual Amarnath Yatra, officials said on Tuesday.

A dozen teams of the NDRF will be deployed to ensure the safety of the people who embark on the yatra from July 1, they added.

To avoid casualties from flash floods and glacial lake outburst floods, the NDRF has started identifying locations for creation of pilgrim camps "away from the tracks where flood waters can roll down and sweep people away".

At least 16 people were killed after flash floods triggered by heavy rain near the shrine on July 8 last year.

To prevent such mishaps this year, helicopters of the Indian Air Force and the J-K administration will regularly undertake aerial sorties in the upper reaches of the holy cave to check for GLOF events and the formation of lakes that may trigger flash floods downhill, a senior officer told PTI.

Last year, such sorties were conducted only after the flash floods occurred in June but this year, the exercise will be undertaken before the start of the yatra and at continuous intervals during the two-month pilgrimage, the officer added.

The aerial surveys will be conducted by a team with expertise in remote sensing and satellite, hydrology and disaster response.

Once a dangerous water build-up is spotted, contingency measures will be taken all along the yatra route, especially the area near the cave shrine, he added.

Sharing further details on the rescue preparations, the officer said the NDRF's sniffer dogs will be deployed well before the commencement of the pilgrimage so that they are acclimatised to the high-altitude environment and can work without physical hassles. These dogs have been trained to detect lives under rubble.

The federal contingency force will also identify tracks on the slopes that are away from the possible course of flash floods so that no lives are harmed in case water gushes down no lives, he said.

Speaking during an event in New Delhi on Tuesday, NDRF director general Atul Karwal said the force is training its rescuers in combatting disasters occurring in high altitudes and mountains even as a team of the force recently scaled a 6,500 meters tall Himalyan peak.

“We undertook this maiden expedition as training for high-altitude rescue instills confidence in the rescuers that they can save lives without being adversely affected by tough weather,” the DG said.

The annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath, located at a height of 3,880 metres in the south Kashmir Himalayas, will begin on July 1 and continue till August 31.