The Yogi Adityanath government has successfully rescued 87 people trapped in floods in Shravasti and Kushinagar caused by the sudden release of over five lakh cusecs of water following heavy rains in Nepal.
Those rescued include 76 people in Kushinagar and 11 in Shravasti.
During this operation, 400 villagers stranded in 18 villages of Shravasti were moved to safer places while 20 cattle trapped in the Kushinagar floods were also rescued.
It is worth mentioning here that the administration sprang to action and carried out the relief and rescue operations following Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s directive to expedite relief efforts in flood-affected areas and relocate victims to safer locations.
Chief Minister Yogi has instructed the district magistrates of the flood affected Shravasti and Kushinagar districts to conduct a survey of the damaged crops and submit a report to the government within 24 hours. He has also ordered government-level officials to provide immediate compensation upon receiving the survey report. While the situation in these districts is currently under control, crop damage has been reported in some areas.
Relief Commissioner GS Naveen reported that at around 8 pm on Saturday, the state-level emergency operations centre received information about 11 people, including three men, five women and three kids, being trapped in floods due to the sudden release of water from Nepal, in the villages of Mohanpur Bhartha and Kevtan Purva of Gajobhari gram panchayat in Jamunha tehsil of Shravasti district.
He said, “Upon receiving this information, Shravasti District Magistrate Ajay Kumar Dwivedi was immediately informed and he promptly arrived with his team to oversee the rescue operation.”
He added, “The district administration and flood teams of Provincial Armed Constabulary conducted a joint rescue operation, working tirelessly for approximately eight hours to safely evacuate all the individuals. Following their rescue, a team of doctors provided first aid to everyone. The victims were then taken to the guest house located at Rapti Barrage.”
Devipatan Divisional Commissioner Shashi Lal Bhushan Sushil stated, “All the victims were safely transported back to their village after receiving first aid and food. During the rescue operation, the following individuals were successfully rescued: Karika (10 years), Minnie (12 years), Rita (25 years), Sheru (8 years), Archana (17 years), Kamala Devi (40 years), Shanti Devi (50 years), Saktaram (18 years), Rekha Devi (28 years), Nandan (30 years), and Ram Ujagar (50 years).”
The relief commissioner stated, “At around 8 pm on Saturday, the state level emergency operation centre received information that 5,71,850 cusecs of water was being released from the Devghat Barrage due to heavy rains in Nepal. In response, Kushinagar District Magistrate Umesh Mishra was promptly notified about the potential release of three lakh cusecs of water from the Balmiki Nagar Barrage, which could affect the villages in Khadda tehsil.”
He added, “The Kushinagar district magistrate and his team promptly inspected the 13 affected villages in Khadda tehsil and urged villagers to vacate their homes and move to safer places. During the inspection, they learned that some people and cattle were stranded on an island in Narayanpur, Khadda tehsil.”
“Consequently, the National Disaster Response Force and PAC teams initiated a rescue operation. After hours of effort, the rescue teams safely evacuated over 76 people and 20 cattle. The rescued people were moved to safer places where they are being offered nutritious food,” he added.
On Sunday morning, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spoke with the district magistrates of Shravasti and Kushinagar, the areas affected by the water released from Nepal, to get an update on the situation. The district magistrates informed him that 87 people and 20 cattle had been rescued.
In response, Chief Minister Yogi directed all district magistrates to survey the crops damaged by floodwaters within 24 hours and submit the report to the government. He also spoke with government officials, and ordered immediate disbursement of compensation once the crop damage reports were received.
The chief minister asked officials in the affected districts to visit the area, monitor the relief efforts, and assist the affected people. He said the authorised relief amount should be promptly provided to families who suffered loss of life due to the disaster. He also stressed that those who suffered damage to their homes or loss of livestock should receive the permissible financial assistance immediately.
