CHENNAI: The Armed forces and National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) personnel are working round the clock to rescue marooned victims in the flooded pockets of Kerala. A four-member team from Chennai is risking their lives to save and rehabilitate stranded and abandoned animals in the neighbouring state for the past four days.
The team, consisting Nishanth Nichu, Dinesh Baba, S Arjun and Albert Peter, first reached Idukki, where most of the animals were found dead. They then went to Kottayam to rescue 18 dogs from the backyard of a breeder’s house on Sunday.
“The house of the breeder was right next to the backwaters and was therefore flooded, with water rising up to 10 feet. The team carried the rescue operation for around two hours with the help of a boat. Both the owner and the dogs have been moved to relief camps,” said animal activist Shravan Krishnan, a part of the team operating from Chennai.
He said that most dogs could not escape as the kennels were inundated and locked. Unlike Chennai, where the rescuers can go to an affected spot immediately after they receive a call, the team in Kerala has to rely on call centres based in Jaipur and Mumbai to give them the exact details of the rescue. “We follow a case depending on the GPS location and how deep the water is, as we do not have proper rescue equipment,” said one of the rescuers.
As most of the affected areas are difficult to access, the team is working with little or no food, and sleep on the pavement or inside a car. The rescued animals are either reunited with their owner or sent to rescue camps, as they did in Kottayam. Stray animals are treated and left at the Centre-operated relief camps.
The team is currently in Chengannur to carry the next rescue. Meanwhile, in Chennai, activists are collecting relief material such as cattle fodder, dog and cat food to be sent to Kerala.