The Uttar Pradesh government has successfully rescued 87 people trapped in floods in the Shravasti and Kushinagar districts caused by the sudden release of over five lakh cusecs of water following heavy rains in Nepal.

The rescued included 76 persons in Kushinagar and 11 in Shravasti.

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During the operation, 400 villagers stranded in 18 villages of Shravasti were moved to safer places while 20 cattle trapped in the Kushinagar floods were also rescued.

It is worth mentioning here that the administration sprang to action and carried out the relief and rescue operations following Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s directive to expedite relief efforts in flood-affected areas and relocate victims to safer locations.

The district magistrates of the flood-affected Shravasti and Kushinagar districts have been instructed to conduct a survey of the damaged crops and submit a report to the government within 24 hours.

While the situation in these districts is currently under control, crop damage has been reported in some areas.

State Relief Commissioner GS Naveen said at around 8 pm on Saturday that the state-level emergency operations Centre received information about 11 people, including three men, five women, and three kids, being trapped in floods due to the sudden release of water from Nepal in the villages of Mohanpur Bhartha and Kevtan Purva of Gram Panchayat Gajobhari, Tehsil Jamunha, Shravasti.

He said, “Upon receiving this information, Shravasti District Magistrate Ajay Kumar Dwivedi was immediately informed who promptly arrived with his team to oversee the rescue operation.”

“The district administration and flood PAC teams conducted a joint rescue operation, working tirelessly for approximately eight hours to safely evacuate all the individuals. Following their rescue, a team of doctors provided first aid to everyone. The victims were then taken to the guest house located at Rapti Barrage,” he added.

Devipatan Division Commissioner Shashi Lal Bhushan Sushil stated, “All the victims were safely transported back to their village after receiving first aid and food. During the rescue operation, the following individuals were successfully rescued: Karika (10 years), Minnie (12 years), Rita (25 years), Sheru (8 years), Archana (17 years), Kamala Devi (40 years), Shanti Devi (50 years), Saktaram (18 years), Rekha Devi (28 years), Nandan (30 years), and Ram Ujagar (50 years).”

The Relief Commissioner stated, “At around 8 PM on Saturday, the State Level Emergency Operation Center received information that 5,71,850 cusecs of water were being released from the Devghat Barrage due to heavy rains in Nepal. In response, the Kushinagar District Magistrate Umesh Mishra was promptly notified about the potential release of 3 lakh cusecs of water from the Balmiki Nagar Barrage, which could affect the villages in Tehsil Khadda.”

He added, “The Kushinagar District Magistrate and his team promptly inspected the 13 affected villages in Tehsil Khadda and urged villagers to vacate their homes and move to safer places. During the inspection, they learned that some people and cattle were stranded on an island in Narayanpur, Tehsil Khadda.”

“Consequently, the NDRF and PAC teams initiated a rescue operation. After hours of effort, the rescue team safely evacuated over 76 people and 20 cattle. The rescued persons have been moved to safer places where they are being offered nutritious food”, he added.

On Sunday morning, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath spoke with the District Magistrates of Shravasti and Kushinagar, the areas affected by the water release from Nepal, to get an update on the situation.

The District Magistrates informed the CM that 87 people and 20 cattle had been rescued. In response, CM Yogi directed all District Magistrates to survey the crops damaged by floodwaters within 24 hours and submit the report to the government. He also spoke with government officials, ordering immediate compensation once the crop damage reports were received.

During this time, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath emphasized that officials in the affected districts should visit the area, monitor the relief efforts, and assist the affected people. He instructed that the authorized relief amount be promptly provided to families who suffered loss of life due to the disaster. He also stressed that those who experienced damage to their homes or loss of livestock should receive the permissible financial assistance immediately.