JAMMU, Sep 15:
More than 2.34 lakh people have been so far rescued in flood-hit Jammu and Kashmir where relief and rescue operations entered the 14th day today.
“Over 2,34,000 persons have been rescued so far by the armed forces and NDRF from different parts of J&K in the ongoing rescue and relief operations,” PRO Defence Col S D Goswami said here.
Three teams of Naval Marine Commandos are actively involved in rescue operations at Watlab, Widipura and Tankpura, he said.
Goswami said as the flood water has started receding, the apprehension for water-borne diseases is rising and now demand for filtered water has increased.
Twenty RO plants with a capacity to filter 4 lakh litre water per day are being sent to Srinagar from Hyderabad and four RO plants with a capacity to filter 1 lakh litre per day are being sent from Delhi, he said.
Thirteen tonnes of water purifying tablets and six water filtration plants with a capacity to filter 1.2 lakh bottles per day have been sent to Srinagar earlier, he said, adding that more heavy duty suction pumps are being airlifted from Jodhpur and Raipur.
Sewage pumps from Delhi have been dispatched to the Valley and 30 generator sets of 3 to 5 KVA capacity have also been sent to Srinagar to ensure 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, he said.
Over 33,000 blankets, donated by the Ministry of Textile, Red Cross Society and Jharkhand and Punjab Governments, were airlifted to flood-affected areas today, he said.
Earlier, 8,200 blankets and 1,572 tents have been provided to the flood victims. A total of 80 medical teams of the Armed Forces Medical Services are already operating in full swing.
More relief materials, including tents, water bottles and food packets are being airlifted from Delhi, Arakonam and Amritsar, he added.
Four army field hospitals have been established in Avantipur, Pattan, Anantnag and Old Airfield where medical aid is being provided to the ailing people, Col S D Goswami said and added that till now they have treated around 53,082 patients.
Two additional fully-equipped field hospitals with laboratory-testing equipment facility have also been established in Srinagar, he said.
One rapid action medical team from Air Force has been deployed at Avantipur and Srinagar, he said adding that the team has provided medical aid to 2,684 patients.
Eighty transport aircrafts and helicopters of the Indian Air Force and Army Aviation Corps are continuing with their efforts in the rescue and relief operations, Col Goswami said.
The army has deployed around 30,000 troops for the operation, he said.
So far, 2,527 sorties have been undertaken by the helicopters and aircrafts of the armed forces and 3,673 tonnes of relief materials have been dropped by the Indian Air Force, he said.
Nearly 6 lakh litres of water and over 1,313 tonnes of food packets and cooked food and ration have been distributed.
A total of 224 boats of the army and NDRF’s 148 inflatable boats are actively involved in the rescue operation, he added.
The armed forces have established 19 relief camps in Srinagar and Jammu regions.
In the Srinagar region, camps have been established at BB Cantt, Avantipur, Old Airfield, Sumbal, Chattargam and Jijamata Mandir, where thousands of rescued people have been given shelter.
They are also being provided with food and other basic amenities, Col Goswami said.
To restore road connectivity, five task forces of Border Roads Organisation, comprising 5,700 personnel, have been deployed in Srinagar, Rajouri and Akhnoor.
They have restored the road connectivity from Batote to Bijbiara. The connectivity from Srinagar to Sonamarg has been opened for all vehicles, while, between Srinagar and Baramulla, the road has been opened for light vehicles, he said.
The Jammu-Poonch road has been cleared for traffic.
On the Jammu–Srinagar highway, BRO personnel have cleared the road up to 172 km (Ramsu) and work is in progress to clear fresh landslides in the areas that were cleared earlier, he said. (AGENCIES)
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