Palamu (Jharkhand): Over 40 villagers stranded in floods of Sone River in Jharkhand's Garhwa district and Bihar's Rohtas district were rescued by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team on Monday.
Late on Sunday night, incessant rainfall triggered a sudden swelling of water levels in the Sone river following which, one and a half dozen residents of Lohargada and Merauni villages of Hariharpur in Jharkhand's Garhwa district and about two dozen villagers in Rohtas area of Bihar got stranded.
On information, the Garhwa district administration ordered an urgent rescue operation. The Garhwa district officials contacted NDRF and Rohtas district administration. After which, an NDRF team initiated a rescue operation and evacuated more than 40 stranded villagers to the Rohtas area.
"The NDRF has rescued the villagers who had got stranded in flood waters of Sone River. Among the stranded people, included villagers from both Jharkhand and Bihar. Following the late night rescue operation, all the villagers were evacuated by Monday morning," Rajni Ranjan, Hariharpur police station in-charge said.
Among those who were stranded included Kamlesh Chaudhary, Shanti Devi, Suresh Chaudhary, Sunti Devi, Bhagmania Devi, Mangal Chaudhary and others from Lohargada and Merauni village. According to a villager Kamlesh, due to the floods, water level had almost reached upto their knees After villagers informed Garhwa DC Shekhar Jamuar, relief and rescue operations were launched immediately, he said.
High alert sounded in Sone River coastal areas
In view of the flood-like situation here, a high alert has been issued in the coastal areas of the Sone River and local residents have been prohibited from going near the river banks for the time being. Also, an alert has been issued in parts of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh due to the rising river water levels. Garhwa and Palamu district administrations have appealed to people living in the coastal areas of Sone River to remain cautious and also issued helpline numbers for any kind of assistance. Amid the rising river water levels following rains, it has also been learnt that water is being released from Rihand Dam of Uttar Pradesh on Sone River.
Officials visit coastal areas
On Sunday, SDM Piyush Sinha and Circle Officer Pankaj Kumar along with their teams visited the coastal areas of Sone River and took stock of the situation. During which, officials had appealed to the local people near the Surya Mandir of Dangwar area not to go near the river banks or undertake activities like fishing, agricultural work or bathing. They have also instructed village head, Amarendra Thakur, to inform people about staying away from the river banks or eroded areas, through loudspeakers.
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