Baby found by coast guard amidst Kerela floods

The team reached the house, guided by local policemen who accompanied them in the boat, at 1.30 am.

From flood-ravaged Kerala comes a

a story of the grit of the Coast Guard and armed forces personnel

who saved a newly-born baby in a night-long rescue operation

near the Idukki dam two days ago.

The rescue operation began after a call from the

Mumbai Coast Guard about rising water level in the Idukki dam

area, the Army officer, who led the team, said.

"We were in the weekly commanders' conference at Kochi

when a call came from the Coast Guard office in Mumbai to send

the best team near the dam where water was flowing above the

danger level," Lt Col Shashikant Waghmode said.

Lt Col Waghmode, an assault engineer officer,

currently on deputation to the Coast Guard, volunteered to

lead the team and within 30 minutes, the team members were

selected.

Many Coast Guard personnel were called from various

ships, he told PTI when asked about the operation.

They were equipped with boats, outboard motor, ropes,

digging tools, survival ration and medical kits, he said.

"After the briefing by District Commander DHQ-4 DIG

Sanathan Jena, the team, comprising 16 Coast Guard divers,

started the journey at night," he said.

The terrain was a challenge as Idukki is located in a

hilly area, which had a number of landslides. There were

waterfalls and poor visibility due to fog. The 'nullahs'

(drains) and rivers were overflowing, he said.

The team had to cross the Chappat bridge as the dam

gates were going to be opened at 4.30 am.

"I had taken along drivers experienced in the hilly

terrain and after nine hours we managed to cross the bridge at

4 am, half-an-hour before the dam gates opened," said Lt Col

Waghmode, an alumnus of the Sainik School at Satara in

Maharashtra.

In Idukki, they found that all the villages were

evacuated and hotels, shops, ATMs and petrol pumps were shut.

There was no place to take shelter, he said.

For the next four days, the Coast Guard team rescued

many people in Manjumala and nearby villages and cleared

debris and boulders.

"I was leading a peculiar team comprising personnel

from the Coast Guard, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. I

was given the best sea divers of the Coast Guard, Navy nursing

assistants, vehicle drivers of the Army and the Air Force," he

said.

"On August 16 night, just as we reached an abandoned

government hospital for rest after four days of non-stop work,

the local police officer, villagers and NDRF officials came to

us, asking to save the life of a woman who had just given

birth," he said.

The locals told the rescue team that the woman and her

five family members were stuck in a flooded house without food

and water for four days, he said.

The team then launched a night-long rescue mission,

calling it "Operation Water Baby", Lt Col Waghmode said.

The woman's house was two km from the point where the

the rescue boat was unloaded, he said.

"The best six members of the team were selected and

the operation began at 10.30 pm in pitch dark and against the

water current," the officer said.

The outboard motor was not effective as there were a lot

of stones, debris and mud mounds below but the team pushed the

boat for about 2 km against the water current, which was

around 15 knots, he said.

The team reached the house, guided by local policemen

who accompanied them in the boat, at 1.30 am.

"The family was in a bad state. They were not aware

that someone was coming to their rescue. Due to medical

issues of the newborn baby and the mother, we decided to wait

till sunrise and continued the operation early morning with

the help of a local doctor," he said.

"On our way back, wherever there was less water, we

lifted the boat with family members inside it. After we

reached a safe spot, the woman told us that she will make her

baby boy join the armed forces," the officer said.

After this rescue operation, the team was given a

choice to return and rest, but the personnel chose to proceed

to Chengannur and join another rescue operation, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)