Sudden surge in the Kabini inundated the low-lying areas and endangered the lives of residents. The local administration contacted the higher authorities who deployed a unit of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for rescue and relief. The district administration on its part deployed the fire services and alerted the medical personnel. As the flood water increased, people on the other side of the river were shifted to safer places. A man who fell into the river when his coracle was swept away in the swirling water of Kabini river was pulled out of the whirlpool while a woman in an advanced stage of pregnancy and stranded in her home was rescued. While being shifted and in the middle of the rescue operations, she delivered a baby boy and the NDRF personnel assisted in the delivery process after which she was shifted her to the banks of the river where the emergency medical personnel took over.
This in short was the template for the NDRF drill that was enacted on the banks of the Kabini at Nanjangud on Thursday. This was part of their ongoing exercise to put their training to use besides creating public awareness of the NDRF’s capabilities in service of the nation during disasters.
K.S. Subheesh, Assistant Commandant, NDRF, Bengaluru, said about 20 trained personnel were drawn from the Bengaluru unit and are on a tour displaying the capabilities to infuse public confidence. They had four inflatable rubber boats, life jackets, communication system etc required for rescue. The NDRF’s speciality is to fabricate floating equipment of available raw materials like coconut frond, empty bottles and thermocol. The exercise was also a test of their preparedness and emergency response.