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IAF conducts flood relief operation on war-footing

The man had lost all hope of survival and had left himself to the mercy of cruel nature in the flooded-to-the-brim Ukai dam, in which he was drowning. Even the Indian Air Force helicopter hovering over him could not have saved him, because the flying machine had virtually run out of fuel and was on its way to Daman to replenish its energy.

But the men-in-uniform aboard the chopper took a chance. They downed a rope-ladder on the drowning man who, somehow, clutched it as the last opportunity to survive. It was in this hanging position that the chopper took him to a full 100 km for safe-landing at A HREF=18guj.htm>Surat, traversing the distance from the flooded dam to the flooded city, amid gusty winds and heavy rains. Before thinking of their own lives, as the helicopter itself was surviving on the last drops of fuel, the IAF men had become concerned for the life of a total stranger.

In all, the IAF helicopters saved 19 lives in the flood-affected Surat district yesterday. They came as the last hope to the hapless victims perched precariously atop trees, poles, and the roofs of their houses and hutments.

Owing to the inclement weather, the IAF aircraft and helicopters, entrusted with the task of carrying out relief and rescue operation in the flood affected areas of south Gujarat, particularly Surat district, yesterday, had to fly up to Daman for refuelling as the civil aviation authorities at Surat airport had "failed to arrange for fuel".

According to sources at the headquarters of the IAF's south- western air command, Gandhinagar, the aircraft and helicopters sent from Jamnagar, Agra and other places to assist the civic authorities in relief works could not be refuelled at Surat airport for want of fuel. They had to fly up to the IAF's base at Daman for refuelling and returned to continue their sorties.

Today, an AN-32 aircraft was sent on a couple of sorties from Ahmedabad to Surat with life-saving and hygiene drugs to prevent outbreak of water-borne diseases in the flood-hit areas. The aircraft also carried pumps to extract water in the water-logged areas, the sources said.

Following a request from the state government to assist it in the relief and rescue operation, a round-the-clock flood relief cell had been set up at SWAC headquarters yesterday and all the air force stations at Jodhpur, Bombay, Jamnagar, Ahmedabad and Vadodara had been alerted to meet the situation. The meteorological department of SWAC had also been activated to assist the civic authorities in respect of weather warning round-the-clock.

Two helicopters from SWAC's Jamnagar base were put on duty yesterday to establish the ground communication facility in the water-logged areas of Surat district and surrounding places and for distributing and dropping food packets and other material. Besides, one helicopter was also kept stand-by at the Ahmedabad airport to meet any eventuality. An AN-32 transport aircraft from central IAF command, Agra, was also flown into Surat last evening.

SWAC sources said today that the two IAF helicopters and the AN-32 transport carried 45 boats and medicines in a special mission to Surat. They also conducted nearly two dozen sorties during the last two days.

Meanwhile, with the recovery of five more decomposed bodies from the severe flood-affected Surat city and neighbouring areas, the toll has shot up to 11 while the Gujarat government geared up its machinery for swift rescue and relief operation and combating outbreak of any epidemic.

Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, in high-level meeting with government officials and district authorities, has instructed them to make war-footing efforts to restore, water electricity and communication facilities at the earliest.

Special relief camps have been set up in several places in Surat city and neighbouring villages, especially the worst-affected Amroli, Varacha, Rander and Katargam. A team of doctors and civic authorities are working round-the-clock to carry out relief operations.

According to the police and fire brigade control, till now 11 bodies have been recovered. Several more are feared to be trapped. Apart from human lives, cattle have suffered extensively and several feared to have washed away. This has resulted in a threat of outbreak of epidemic. But the Surat municipal corporation is taking preventive measures in combating any such outbreak.

Union Textile Minister Kashiram Rana held a series of meetings with district collector R M Shah. City police commissioner Mani Ram and civic standing committee chairman Ajay Chowksey and reviewed the rescue and relief operations.

Air force and naval choppers continued to hover over the city dropping relief material and combing the entire areas in search of survivors or dead bodies. Around 50 mechanised boats have been pressed into action and army and para-military forces are using it in combing the entire area.

Though the flood level in the city has reduced, over 30 per cent areas in the city and neighbouring villages are still affected by floods. The state government are providing monetary assistance to the affected public, especially to villagers to reconstruct their dwellings. A special team of the state revenue department have arrived in the city to take stock of the situation.

District industry centre officials have also reached the place to assess the losses in this powerloom and diamond city and the neighbouring Hazira township.

A senior state government officials said that temporary contact in all the flood affected areas have been established and at least 40 mobile medical vans have been sent to different flood affected areas. The authorities are now concentrating more on combating any outbreak of epidemic. After the 1994 floods the city was affected by suspected plague. While bleaching powder and chlorine tablets are being distributed, dewatering pumps are being used to pump out water from the low-lying submerged areas.

Some of the flood-affected villages are still plunged into darkness. However, the Gujarat electricity board is making war-footing efforts to restore electricity.

In Maharashtra too, Chief Minister Manohar Joshi today reviewed the calamitous situation caused by heavy rains in various parts of the state during the past 72 hours and issued directives for immediately undertaking relief measures on a war footing to provide succour to the affected people.

Joshi, who held a meeting with high officials at Mantralaya in Bombay in the morning, also in view of the grimness of the situation asked them to examine how more than the usual relief could be extended. He also asked them to ensure that there was proper coordination among various agencies associated with disaster management.

The chief minister informed the meeting that the district collectors have been asked to immediately conduct survey to assess area-wise damage caused by rains. The centre will be approached for providing assistance to the state to tide over the situation once the preliminary estimates of the damages were available, he told the meeting.

Joshi instructed the officials to start providing relief as per the existing norms in areas where the damages had been heavy, without waiting for demand from people. Damage was reported to be heavy in Chandrapur, Bhandara, Amravati, Akola in Vidarbha and Jalgaon and Nashik in northern Maharashtra and Thane in Konkan region, he said.

He also directed the health department to launch a drive to disinfect wells and other sources of water in flood affected areas to prevent outbreak of epidemics due to water contamination.

UNI

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