Fearless Friends at the Frontiers of Floods!

Usually calamities come unannounced. However, sometimes, they do arrive with a proclamation too. In the month of July 2017, Gujarat experienced the same disastrous situation, while millions of gallons of water released from the Jaitpura Dam in Rajasthan, approached to shores of Gujarat and turned into heavy floods.  In an Irony of impending floods, the ignorant villagers, as they never been witnessed even two feet water level, simply ignored  the official warning about floods, and refused to move elsewhere. In this grim situation R.S.S. Swayamsewaks intervened and saved thousands of lives and emerged as knights in shining armour - succeeding where even the local administration couldn't succeed. 

 It was around 1 A.M,  on the night of July 23 (2017), when Govindbhai Prajapati,  Sewa Pramukh of Palampur area, got the information about impending floods. An urgent mobile conference took place amongst senior Swayamsewaks at Dhanera, Bansikantha and Deetha. A committee was formed to confront the impending disaster. In no time large contingents of Swayamsewaks proceeded towards those low lying areas, where the threat of disaster was imminent and with the help of loudspeakers fitted atop the moving vehicles moved whole night from one village to other to announce the danger of floods as well as safety measures.At Dhanera alone, the Swayamsewaks saved around eight thousand lives. A dedicated team of 1871 Swayamsewaks laboured round the clock to distribute 5,50,000 food packets, 23,000 grocery kits, water bottles, bedding, clothes and tents to the victims. R.S.S. affiliated team of 123 doctors arranged 203 free medical camps. It was indeed a horrifying scenario. At Dhanera, Dantiwada, Amirgarh, Deesa and Lakhni Villages of Banaskantha District, one hundred civilians and over one lakh cattle died. Actually these were mostly the villagers those who refused the pleadings of Swayamsewaks to leave their homes and move the safer places. At Kharia village of Kankrej District, a family of 17 was consumed by flood water.

Local administration proved largely incapable to move the affected people instantly to safer places. R.S.S Vibhag Sampark Pramukh of Mehsana District - Dr. Nikhil reveales, that even before the teams of local administration and army  reached the spot, R.S.S. Swayamsewaks had initiated the rescue work. Swayamsevaks evicted people submerged under water, with the help of ropes. The N.D.L.F. also received utmost Co-operation from the Swayamsewaks. A team of students from Adani Medical College led by Swayamsewak Jay Patel set out with medical kits towards worst affected villages Adeshpura and Radhepur and tirelessly served the victims  round the clock. Electricity was disconnected, so they had to use torchlight to extend medical help. 

R.S.S. Vibhag Sewa Pramukh - Natubhai Joshi underlines the fact that, it was only the R.S.S. Swayamsewaks who initiated the rescue and relief work. In between  many other social organizations came and gone at floods hit region for relief work but RSS Swayamsewaks hold the fort here until rehabilitation work reached at the satisfactory mark.