Meet the Heroes Saving Lives as Himachal Battles Massive Floods & Landslides

North India experienced heavy rainfall in the past three days. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued warnings that more heavy downpour is expected in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi over the next couple of days.

Himachal Pradesh, especially, has seen incessant rains leading to landslides and flash floods, leading to widespread destruction. All major rivers including Beas, Ravi, Chenab, and Satluj are in spate, as vehicles, bridges, shops, and houses are being swept away. 

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According to a tweet by DGP Satwant Atwal, 30 lives have been lost due to these rains in the state, and the financial loss is anywhere between Rs 3,000 crore to Rs 4,000 crore.

IMD has issued a fresh red and orange alert in Himachal on Tuesday for the next 24 hours.

“A red alert has been issued for very heavy rainfall in Solan, Shimla, Sirmaur, Kullu, Mandi, Kinnaur, and Lahaul for the next 24 hours. An orange alert has been issued in Una, Hamirpur, Kangra, and Chamba. A flash flood warning has been issued for Mandi, Kinnaur, and Lahaul-Spiti for the next 24 hours,” said IMD Scientist Sandeep Kumar Sharma.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday and took stock of the situation. Sukhu has sought assistance from the centre. He recently headed a review meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA).

The focus is now on evacuating 300 stranded tourists and residents at Chandertaal, tweeted the CM. He also stated that the state has not seen such rains in the past 50 years.

While videos of the devastation have been circulating on social media, what also stands out is the heroic efforts by the police, NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, officials as well as locals.

Here are some of the heroes risking their lives to save others in dire conditions:

Mandi Police and SDRF rescued eight people, including a senior couple, using a makeshift ladder over a water body.

#Rescue @himachalpolice@HP_SDRF@SatwantAtwal
A joint rescue operation carried out by the officials of #MandiPolice and #HP_SDRF in Pandoh. All 08 affected persons including an old age couple were rescued safely.@MandiPolice pic.twitter.com/iSeLXnzQY5— Mandi Police (@MandiPolice) July 9, 2023

As the Beas river surged, NDRF officials took tremendous efforts to rescue nine people from across the river.

14TH BN NDRF Team 14Q(PPT Kullu) safely rescued 09 victims from 02 adjoining sites across Beas River near Chharudu Kullu HP with immense bravado and extraordinary efforts. The team showed a high level of professionalism and expertise during OPS.@AtulKarwal @NDRFHQ @HP_SDRF pic.twitter.com/OCFRt0pPRR— 14TH NDRF , NURPUR (@14NDRF) July 9, 2023

Leading from the front are women — right from Director General of Police (DGP) Satwant Atwal,  Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kullu Sakshi, and SSP Mandi Soumya — who have been leading evacuation efforts on the ground.

Rains are incessant but so are we ! हम तत्पर हैं – gladdens the heart to see the lady officers leading fr the front! Kudos Sakshi Ssp Kullu & Soumya Ssp Mandi pic.twitter.com/UuGWCb152Q— Satwant Atwal,IPS (@SatwantAtwal) July 10, 2023

All officials, from the SSP to constables, have been on the field for the last 48 hours.

ये SP Mandi है, कल से इस तरह से ही लोगों से मिल कर उनको सुरक्षित जगहों पर भेज रही है … @himachalpolice के SP से लेकर constable तक सब सड़कों पर यूँही डटे हुए है …

??????@SukhuSukhvinder @SatwantAtwal #Himachal pic.twitter.com/9JEsJwgVUD— Supriya Bhardwaj (@Supriya23bh) July 10, 2023

Rescue operations have been underway 24*7. Sirmaur police rescued 40 trapped people as late as 2:30 am on 9 July.

सिरमौर पुलिस,आपातकालीन राहत और बचाव कार्य प्रदान करने के लिए 24/7 काम कर रही हैं।
दिनांक 9-7-23 की मध्य रात्री 2:30 बजे प्राप्त सूचना के आधार पर, खोडो वाला में 10 लोगों को व मेहरूवाला (पांवटा साहिब) में फसे करीब 30 लोगों को सुरक्षित निकालकर, राहत कार्य किया गया। @SatwantAtwal pic.twitter.com/akYTFsuQdf— Sirmour Police (@PoliceSirmour) July 10, 2023

Another rescue operation at Kullu was done amidst great personal danger by the NDRF team.

#Remarkable_Bravery#NDRF#DistrictAdministration#DisasterResponse#HimachalPolice#RescueMission#HeroesAmongUs#GovernmentInAction#GovtOfHimachalPradesh pic.twitter.com/slnTU4SUuS— CMO HIMACHAL (@CMOFFICEHP) July 10, 2023

For these heroes on the ground, the focus is to rescue lives, be they human or animal. The SDRF Kangra officials saved four cattle at the Baner rivulet. 

The SDRF Kangra team accomplished a successful rescue operation, saving four stranded cattlethe Baner rivulet. Despite the challenging circumstances caused by heavy rainfall and a sudden increase in water levels, our dedicated SDRF managed to safety of all four animals pic.twitter.com/E426XWNqZQ— Satwant Atwal,IPS (@SatwantAtwal) July 10, 2023

The state government has announced three helplines — 1100,1070 and 1077 — for people stuck in the flood.

Edited by Pranita Bhat

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