Over 3,600 people rescued from flood-affected areas of Gautam Budh Nagar

In a coordinated rescue effort, the police and fire department personnel evacuated around 3,610 people from flood-hit areas across Gautam Budh Nagar district in the aftermath of the overflowing Yamuna River, officials said.

Additionally, teams have managed to rescue and relocate approximately 5,974 cattle from various shelter homes located in the affected regions, police said, adding that the district administration is closely monitoring the situation using drones.

According to the Gautam Budh Nagar district administration, Dadri, Sadar, and Jewar have been severely impacted by the floods. Areas such as Sector 124, 125, Nagla Vajidpur village, Asgarpur, Makanpur Khadar, Makanpur Bangar, Latifpur, Atta Fatehpur, and Navrangpura in Dadri have been particularly hard-hit. In Sadar, Sikandarpur, Belakala, Belakhurd, Chak Mangrauli, Basantpur, among others, experienced flooding, while Govindgarh, Shamshamnagar, Jewar Khader, Bhagwantpur, Sirsa, Aliyabad, and other areas were affected in Jewar.

On Friday morning, police commissioner Laxmi Singh and senior police officials from all three zones in Gautam Budh Nagar, including DCP Noida Harish Chander, ADCP Noida Shakti Mohan, DCP Greater Noida Saad Miya Khan, conducted inspections of the flood-hit areas.

DCP (Greater Noida) Saad Miya Khan said, “Police have been conducting inspections in flood-hit areas, and rescue and relief operations are underway in several villages of Greater Noida. We successfully evacuated people, including men, women, and children, most of whom were laborers residing in temporary shelters. They have been relocated to safer places.”

He added, “To facilitate the rescue operation, a public announcement system has been implemented, urging people in affected areas to evacuate and move to safer locations to avoid any untoward incidents, as the situation is likely to persist. The evacuation efforts are still ongoing.”

Police teams, along with personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the fire department, have been deployed in the affected areas to conduct inspections and aid, ensuring the safety and well-being of the affected residents.

In a separate operation, the evacuation of cattle from various shelter homes in the district has also been carried out. Pradeep Kumar, chief fire officer (CFO), said, “Upon receiving information about cattle being trapped in Gaushalas (cow shelters), a rescue operation was launched, resulting in the successful evacuation of 5,974 cattle. The rescue operation is still in progress.”

One cow shelter located in Sector 135, Noida, reported around 200 cattle still awaiting rescue. Abhishek, the caretaker at the Hindrise shelter, said, “Rescue operations have not yet reached us, and approximately 200 cattle are still stranded here.”

Meanwhile, DCP Noida Harish Chander, who is leading the rescue team, said, “We are aware of the situation, and the shelter home is currently out of danger as the water has receded. However, due to the washed-out approach road, we have been unable to carry out the rescue operation. We are making arrangements for food supplies for the cattle at the shelter.”

While the water level at Okhla Barrage in Noida receded by 15 centimetres on Friday, it still hovers around the danger mark of 200.60 metres. The irrigation department reported an increase of 15 centimeters on Thursday evening, reaching a level of 200.75 metres.