Rain fury in Udham Singh Nagar: Over 460 people rescued from flooded areas

More than 460 people have been rescued and shifted to makeshift relief centres over the last two days in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand after incessant rainfall since Tuesday evening flooded the area, officials said.

Though the water level of Kalyani and Baigul river has receded, and waterlogging has reduced in low-lying colonies of Rudrapur, the fear of flood continues to loom over the residents of the district.

District magistrate Udairaj Singh declared a holiday for schools and Anganwadi centres for one day.

The weather department recorded 77.13mm of rainfall in the district from Tuesday evening to Thursday morning. The district administration sought help from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).

“We deployed five teams in different colonies to carry out rescue operations. Around five feet deep flood water had accumulated in Azadnagar colony, and our team rescued 66 people from their houses and shifted them to flood relief centres,” Balam Singh Bajeli, SDRF in-charge for US Nagar, said.

Laxman Prasad, a resident of Jagatpura colony, said, “Flood water had started entering my house from 10pm on Tuesday. By 11.30pm, the water level had reached around four feet. Seeing the water level, the residents of the colony got scared and some of them took shelter in a relief camp set up in Bhandari school.”

Naresh Mandal, another resident of Jagatpura said, “Flood water has destroyed our household material as well as ration stored in the house. I am a daily wager, and it is difficult for me to get a new bed and clothes.”

The district administration has set up relief camps at the government primary school in Awas-Vikas, Bhandari Sainik school in Jagatpura, Balika Vidya Mandir and Om public school in Azad Nagar.