NDRF rescues 33 people from waterlogged locality in Ghaziabad’s Loni

Water had reached a depth of up to 11-12 feet in several spots. Sixteen women and four children, besides five pets,were rescued

In a late Sunday night operation, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) used boats to rescue 33 people trapped in the heavily waterlogged Daulat Nagar in Troinca City area of Ghaziabad’s Loni. Waterlogging conditions persisted in the area following heavy rain in NCR since Saturday.

The rescue teams reached Loni by 8pm on Sunday and their rescue efforts carried on till about 1am. (HT Photo)

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The rescue teams reached Loni by 8pm on Sunday and their rescue efforts carried on till about 1am.

“The area is low lying and there are places where the waterlogging is about 8-12 feet deep. In such circumstances, our personnel used two inflatable boats to reach the locality and evacuate 33 people. The rescued included 16 women and four children, besides five pets. Seeing the water rise, many people moved to the first floor of their homes,” said a spokesperson from NDRF’s eighth battalion, Ghaziabad.

The police said they received information about the residents remaining trapped in their homes on Sunday evening.

“Our police teams along with administrative officials reached the spot and requisitioned help from NDRF. A total of 33 people were rescued and evacuated safely by the NDRF. Announcements were made so that no one was left behind in the water. There are many houses in that low-lying area and the water had reached a depth of up to 11-12 feet in several spots,” said Rajneesh Kumar Upadhyaya, assistant commissioner of police (Loni).

According to India Meteorological Department’s rainfall distribution data, the Ghaziabad district, between June 1 to July 10, received 60.5mm of rainfall against the expected normal of 96.8mm.

The district officials said the heavy rainfall in the region since Saturday has caused severe waterlogging on roads, and in residential localities. Most of the drains are overflowing, flooding houses.

The officials of the Ghaziabad municipal corporation on Monday said some major waterlogged areas have already been drained and the heavy flow of water in drains has also subsided.

The corporation area has 74 major, 255 mid-size and 175 small drains across its five zones.

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“The cleaning of drains got completed and there were instances where trees and branches fell in . These created obstructions and led to waterlogging. During the past two days, we roped in 15 quick reaction teams, 30 suction pumps and five earth moving machines and cleared the waterlogged areas. Currently, the major waterlogging has subsided and our teams are fully geared to tackle any incident that may arise in case there is another spell of heavy rain,” said Mithilesh Kumar, corporation’s city health officer.