Jammu: Over 2.26 lakh people have been rescued in Jammu and Kashmir so far as the rescue and relief operations in the flood-ravaged state entered 14th day on Monday.
“Armed Forces and NDRF have so far rescued over 2,26,000 persons from different parts of Jammu and Kashmir in the ongoing rescue and relief operations,” Defence spokesperson Col S D Goswami said Monday. Of these, 1.40 lakh people have been rescued by Army alone as the rescue and relief operations have entered 14th day, Goswami said.
Armed Forces had launched Mission Rahat in Jammu region while in Kashmir region Mission Sahayata was launched for rescue and relief operations.
Eighty transport aircraft and helicopters of Indian Air Force and Army Aviation Corps are continuing their efforts in rescue and relief operations, he said.
Army has deployed around 30,000 troops for rescue and relief operations, he said, adding, more than 5,08,000 litres of water and over 1,054 tonnes of food packets and cooked food have already been distributed in the flood-hit areas.
Over 33,000 blankets are being taken to the flood-affected areas Monday, which were donated by Ministry of Textile, Red Cross Society and the governments of Jharkhand and Punjab.
Earlier 8,200 blankets and 1,572 tents were provided to the flood victims, he said. So far, 2,451 sorties were undertaken by the helicopters and aircraft of Armed Forces and 3,435 tonnes of relief materials have been dropped by the Indian Air Force, he said. A total of 224 boats of Army and 148 NDRF’s inflatable boats are actively involved in the rescue operations, Goswami said.
Armed Forces have established 19 relief camps in Srinagar and Jammu region, Goswami said. In Srinagar region, camps were established at BB Cantt, Avantipur, Old Airfield, Sumbal, Chattargam and Jijamata Mandir, where thousands of rescued people are being sheltered, he said.
Goswami said the flood-hit people are also being provided with food and other basic amenities. To restore the road connectivity, five task forces of Border Roads Organisation, which include 5,700 personnel, have been deployed in Srinagar, Rajouri and Akhnoor. They have restored the road connectivity from Batote–Bijbiara, he said.
The connectivity from Srinagar to Sonamarg has been opened for all traffic, while, between Srinagar and Baramulla the road has been opened for light vehicles, he said, adding, Jammu to Poonch road has been cleared for traffic too. On the Jammu–Srinagar highway, BRO personnel have cleared the road up to 172 Kms (Ramsu) and work is in progress to clear fresh landslides in areas that were cleared earlier.
As the flood water has started receding, the apprehension for water-borne diseases is mounting, Goswami said, adding, now demand for filtered water has increased. Twenty RO plants with a capacity to filter 4 lakhs litre per day from Hyderabad and four RO plants from Delhi with a capacity to filter 1 lakh litre per day are being sent to Srinagar on Monday, he said.
Thirteen tonnes of water purifying tablets and six water filtration plants with a capacity to filter 1.2 lakh bottles per day was sent earlier to Srinagar, he added.
More heavy duty suction pumps are being airlifted from Jodhpur and Raipur, Goswami said, adding, the sewage pumps from Delhi have also been dispatched to the valley.
Thirty generator sets of 3 to 5 KVA capacity have also been sent to Srinagar to augment continuous power supply in relief camps and field hospitals. Additional communication equipment of BSNL are being dispatched to restore the communication systems in the state, Goswami said. (PTI)
