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59 residents airlifted from Ju village in Maharashtra’s Kalyan
A district official said the hamlet, which has a population of 59, mostly tribals, was completely submerged in water on Sunday when Kalyan received 307.6mm rain.
Around 59 people were airlifted from Ju village in Khadavli, 22.7km from Kalyan, by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Air Force (IAF), after Ulhas river overflowed amid heavy rainfall on Sunday.
A district official said the hamlet, which has a population of 59, mostly tribals, was completely submerged in water on Sunday when Kalyan received 307.6mm rain.
“A villager, Kailash Palvi, got in touch with the local authorities along with guardian minister Eknath Shinde for help. We immediately contacted the NDRF. The IAF and NDRF sent an Mi17 chopper to airlift the 59 people stranded in this village.”
The rescued villagers were brought to the IAF base camp in Kolshet. “The villagers were provided food and medical aid. They can also stay in the Thane Municipal Corporation’s school till it is safe for them to return,” the official said.
One of the residents, Aarti Jadhav, 22, said she was scared for her month-old child as the water levels kept rising up till the chest level on Sunday morning. “Our village is close to Ulhas River and Barvi dam, both of which were overflowing. The area was flooded since Friday. However, the water levels started rising at an alarming speed since Sunday morning. We had lost all hope.” Jadhav said it seemed nothing less than a “miracle” that they were finally brought to safety.
Another resident, Kirti Palvi, 23, said there was so much water in their village that boats would not be of any help.
“We constantly tried to get in touch with the authorities. Finally, when we got in touch with the guardian minister and asked for help, the helicopter arrived within some time,” said Palvi.
Residents said they were asked to light a fire so it would be easier for the chopper to spot them.
Vishwas Palvi, 28, the police patil of the village, said, “All of us gathered at a higher ground after the water started rising. There were 50 goats and 15 buffalos in our village which all drowned.”
