Life Saviours

Subhashis Mittra

As a sudden cloudburst triggered a massive flash flood in the Kheer Ganga river causing major destruction in Dharali town of Uttarakhand, a team of 69 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescuers, two cadaver dogs and veterinarians joined the rescue operations launched by the Indian Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) among others.

Apart from the cadaver dogs, who will help find the dead, the NDRF has four sniffer dogs who can detect survivors. First time in the 19-year-old history of the force that cadaver dogs have been deployed. Ecologically fragile Dharali is the main stopover on the way to Gangotri, from where the Ganga originates, and is home to several hotels and homestays.

In times past, when the only means of reaching Gangotri was by foot, Dharali was one of the main stops on this road. There was a suspension bridge to cross the Bhagirathi and pilgrims used to buy food from the shops here. The original village is located half a kilometre above the present market at an altitude of 2,593 m. After a motorable road was built at the foot of the main village in the Sixties, settlements gradually started to develop on its banks as well. The floodwaters, carrying heavy silt, swept through the area, washing away the homes and submerging structures.

According to DG NDRF Piyush Anand, every disaster is a learning experience for the force which has grown from eight to 16 battalions now, and its 16,000-18,000 personnel have a presence at around 70 locations in the country, using drones, artificial intelligence and other advanced technological tools in rescue operations. The NDRF was raised in 2006. Now each battalion of NDRF has 18 specialised Search and Rescue (SAR) teams which are self-contained and have specialists like engineers, technicians, electricians, dog squads and medical/para-medical personnel.

The DG NDRF said that there was no immediate plan to add more NDRF battalions to the force. “We have 16 battalions that are equipped with necessary equipment to operate in any situation. Besides, we get airpower assistance within a quick time from concerned authorities. Therefore, we could respond to emergencies quickly,” he added.

NDRF works in three institutional management systems. It has conducted more than 12,000 operations, rescued 1,60,000 people, and evacuated 8.5 lakh others during various disasters. NDRF has been mandated to attend all natural and man-made disasters in the country except fires. This includes Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue (CSSR) during earthquakes, building collapse and landslides; Flood Water Rescue (FWR) including drowning, boat capsize; Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) contingencies, Mountain and Rope Rescue, Medical First Response (MFR) and animal rescue.

The Dharali disaster is very similar to the 2013 Kedarnath tragedy. A pertinent question is why natural disasters keep visiting Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh regularly? Some of the major causes are development work in the Himalayan regions; ignoring their sensitivity; limited carrying capacity and geomorphology. The process of increasing urbanisation in small towns and cities has affected the local environmental balance. Consequently, the loss of life and property due to natural disasters is increasing further.

Reports say that a terrible disaster that occurred along the Kheer Ganga in the middle of the third decade of the 19th century also caused devastation in Dharali. During the subsequent years -- mainly in 1978, 2003, 2010, 2013, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024 -- incidents of excessive rainfall, floods, landslides, land subsidence, cloudbursts, etc. have been reported in Dharali and its adjacent Bhagirathi valley. In these disasters too, lives and property were