Operation Surya Hope
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Operation Surya Hope was the
Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
’s Central Command response to the June
2013 North India floods In June 2013, a mid-day cloudburst centered on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand caused devastating floods and landslides, becoming the country's worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami. The rainfall received that month was far great ...
in
Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
. The Uttarakhand flood was caused by record off-season
monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...
rains, cloud burst, floods,
flash floods A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing ...
, and
glacial lake outburst flood A glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) is a type of outburst flood caused by the failure of a dam containing a glacial lake. An event similar to a GLOF, where a body of water contained by a glacier melts or overflows the glacier, is called a j ...
s (GLOFs), which were possibly induced by
climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
. The humanitarian disaster affected millions, stranded over 100,000
pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of ...
s and tourists in Himalayan religious sites, and killed several thousand people. The
Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
's Lucknow based Central Command conducted the operation. Surya or Sun, is the emblem of the Central Command and features prominently on the Command's formation sign and flag, which is probably why Central Command chose to name the effort Operation Surya Hope. Operation Surya Hope was the follow-up to Operation Ganga Prahar. The operation was commanded by Lieutenant General Anil Chait, the General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC in C) of Central Command. He was succeeded by Lieutenant General Rajan Bakhshi on 1 July 2013. Soon after assuming command, Bakhshi said that the Army would continue with the relief operations, and that he would soon visit Uttarakhand. Over 10,000 troops participated in Operation Surya Hope. It was conducted in arrangement with efforts from the Indian Air Force (IAF) (
Operation Rahat Operation Rahat ( hi, राहत ''Rāhat'', lit. "Relief") was the name given to the Indian Air Force's rescue operations to evacuate civilians affected by the 2013 North India floods. Thousands of pilgrims in transit in the hill states of Utt ...
),
Border Road Organization The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is a road construction executive force in India that provides support to and is now a part of the Indian Armed Forces. BRO develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly neighboring ...
,
National Disaster Response Force The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is an Indian specialized force constituted "for the purpose of special response to a threatening disaster situation or disaster" under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The "Apex Body for Disaster M ...
(NDRF),
Indo-Tibetan Border Police The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is a border patrol organization of India deployed along its borders with Tibet Autonomous Region. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces, established in 1962 in the aftermath of the Sino-India ...
(ITBP) and other para military forces under the Ministry of Home. The floods and landslides in Uttarakhand was considered by many as the worst natural disaster in the area in a hundred years. The
Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
classifies the disaster as a
tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...
. India Meteorological Department (IMD) states that the total rainfall in Uttarakhand from 1 to 18 June 2013 totaled to 385.1 mm, the highest in the last 80 years. The normal rainfall during the period is 71.3 mm, making the total 440% larger than the normal.


Early warning

India has an elaborate multi-tier and multi-agency natural disaster and flood Early Warning (EW) system, both at the Central and the State levels. Federal nodal agencies responsible for providing EW are: * Floods – Central Water Commission * Landslide hazard –
Geological Survey of India The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is a scientific agency of India. It was founded in 1851, as a Government of India organization under the Ministry of Mines, one of the oldest of such organisations in the world and the second oldest survey ...
(GSI) * Avalanche – Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) * Disaster Management Support (DMS) –
Indian Space Research Organization The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman ...
(ISRO) * Weather- India Metrological Department (IMD). Out of all the agencies above, only the India Meteorological Department warned of the tsunami that struck Uttarakhand in June 2013. The Central Water Commission, under the Union Ministry of Water Resources, made its first flood forecast for the year for Uttarakhand after the event on 18 June which impacted Rishikesh and Haridwar. The IMD's warnings had little effect, and few moved to safer places. Both the state and central government ignored the early warning. The State Government didn't issue any form of advisory to the residents or the pilgrims in the affected areas. Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar also dismissed the IMD advisory.


Organizations

The area of responsibility for the humanitarian assistance mission included the heavily
flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
affected areas of
Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
,
Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...
, and
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
. The mission boundary in the north runs along the India-Tibet border, in the east it runs along the India
Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
border, and in the west it goes up to the western boundary of the
Garhwal Division Garhwal (IPA: /ɡəɽʋːɔɭ/) is one of the two administrative divisions of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Lying in the Himalayas, it is bounded on the north by Tibet, on the east by Kumaon, on the south by Uttar Pradesh state, and on the ...
. The areas covered by the mission included
Uttarkashi Uttarkashi, meaning Varanasi, Kashi of the north, is a town located in Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, India. Uttarkashi town is headquarters of the district. Uttarkashi is also known as Somya Kashi. Uttarkashi is a religious place for spir ...
,
Chamoli Chamoli district is a district of the Uttarakhand state of India. It is bounded by the Tibet region to the north, and by the Uttarakhand districts of Pithoragarh and Bageshwar to the east, Almora to the south, Pauri Garhwal to the southwest, ...
,
Rudraprayag Rudraprayag is a town and a municipality in Rudraprayag district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Rudraprayag is one of the Panch Prayag (five confluences) of Alaknanda River, the point of confluence of rivers Alaknanda and Mandakini. K ...
Badrinath Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. A Hindu holy place, it is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage and is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. ...
,
Hemkund Hemkund Sahib (also spelled Hemkunt), formally known as ''Gurudwara Shri Hemkund Sahib Ji'', is a Sikh place of worship and pilgrimage site in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India. It is devoted to Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), the tenth Si ...
Joshimath Joshimath, also known as Jyotirmath, is a city and a municipal board in Chamoli District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Located at a height of 6150 feet (1875 m), it is a gateway to several Himalayan mountain climbing expeditions, trekki ...
,
Harsil Harsil, the Himalayan paradise, is a village, tourist hill station and army area located on the banks of the Bhagirathi River, on the way to Gangotri, a Hindu pilgrimage site in Uttarkashi district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Situated ...
, Gauchar,
Kedarnath Kedarnath is a town and Nagar Panchayat in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India, known primarily for the Kedarnath Temple. It is approximately 86 kilometres from Rudraprayag, the district headquarter. Kedarnath is the most remote of t ...
Kedarghati, Rajakhet, Koti Tehri, Gauri Kund, in the
Garhwal Division Garhwal (IPA: /ɡəɽʋːɔɭ/) is one of the two administrative divisions of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Lying in the Himalayas, it is bounded on the north by Tibet, on the east by Kumaon, on the south by Uttar Pradesh state, and on the ...
,
Dharchula Dharchula is a town in Pithoragarh district in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, situated at an elevation of 940 m above sea level, surrounded by peaks from all sides and Kali river cutting through the middle, dividing the area in ...
, the
Pithoragarh district Pithoragarh district is the easternmost district in the state of Uttarakhand. It is located in the Himalayas and has an area of and a population of 483,439 (as of 2011). The city of Pithoragarh, located in Saur Valley, is its headquarters. T ...
, and the
Kumaon Division Kumaon (; Kumaoni: ''Kumāū''; ; historically romanized as KemāonJames Prinsep (Editor)John McClelland ) is a revenue and administrative division in the Indian State of Uttarakhand. It spans over the eastern half of the state and is bounde ...
.


Disaster management and disaster preparedness

In India's federal system, the state government holds the responsibility for disaster management. The national government plays a ‘supporting role’. The ‘nodal Ministry’ in the central government for management of natural disasters, is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). In the MHA this function is discharged by the Disaster Management Division (DM Division). When "calamities of severe nature" occur, the Central Government is responsible for providing aid and assistance to the affected state, as may be needed, including the deploying, at the State’s request, of Armed Forces, Central Paramilitary Forces, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and such communication, air and other assets, as are available and needed. The response of the central government is based on "gravity of a natural calamity" and the "scale of the relief operation". The “apex Body for Disaster Management" in India, mandated by the
Disaster Management Act, 2005 The Disaster Management Act, 2005, (23 December 2005) No. 53 of 2005, was passed by the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India on 28 November, and the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament, on 12 December 2005. It recei ...
, is the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The NDRF, under the NDRM consists of 12 battalions, and is organised along the lines of a paramilitary force. The NDRF has several flag rank officers, and its Director General wears the uniform and badges of rank of an army three-star general.


Armed forces

On 19 June, the day Operation Ganga Prahar became Operation Surya Hope, and the strength of the Army in the affected area was 5,600. By 27 June 2013, the Army's numbers in the mission area had increased to above 8,500. Army's
disaster response Disaster response is the second phase of the disaster management cycle. It consists of a number of elements, for example; warning/evacuation, search and rescue, providing immediate assistance, assessing damage, continuing assistance and the immed ...
units included infantry battalions, Army Service Corps units to provide Logistic and Supply support, signals regiment, engineer regiments, advance dressing stations and other medical units, special forces, specialised mountain troops, paratroopers, and army aviation corps assets. The Army Aviation Corps deployed 13 helicopters (nine on 19 June and an additional four the next day). This is the largest humanitarian mission by the Indian Army in several decades. By 23 June, the total number of aircraft involved in the evacuation, relief, rescue, and search tasks, according to government sources, was 83 (IAF-45, Army-13, state government hired civil helicopters- 25). The helicopters carried out their mission in hazardous mountain conditions, often in rain and fog, in what one pilot called a "war like situation". On 24 June, Air Chief Marshal
Norman Anil Kumar Browne Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, PVSM, AVSM, VM, ADC also known as "Charlie" Browne, is a former Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) of the Indian Air Force. He served in this position from 31 July 2011 to 31 Dec 2013. Browne served as ...
, the Chief of the Indian Air-force, to assure the people cut off in the mountains, by the bad weather, road blocks, and the floods, said "Our helicopter rotors will not stop churning till such time we get each one of you out. Do not lose hope, and hang in there." The next day, 25 June, to high light the hazardous conditions of flying, an IAF Mi 17, Russian built helicopter, flying in poor visibility, in a narrow valley, crashed into the mountain side killing all 20 on board (5 IAF, 6 ITBP, and 9 NDRF personnel). The
Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...
, too, had a small presence in the mission area. The Navy's marine commandos (Marcos), were deployed to
Rudraprayag Rudraprayag is a town and a municipality in Rudraprayag district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Rudraprayag is one of the Panch Prayag (five confluences) of Alaknanda River, the point of confluence of rivers Alaknanda and Mandakini. K ...
, and Rishikesh, for rescue and search missions. It is not known what task, if any, was performed by this group.


Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deployed 13 teams (a total of 422 persons) from two NDRF battalions in six locations, as follows: five teams (174 personnel) in Rudraprayag District, three teams (89 personnel) in the Haridwar area, one team (33 personnel) in Guptkashi, one team (29 personnel) in Lakshar, one team (40 personnel) in Gaurikund, one team (45 personnel) in Dehradun, and one team (12 personnel) at Jolly Grant Airport. The NDRF mission was to assist the "State Government for search and rescue operations". The strength of
Indo-Tibetan Border Police The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is a border patrol organization of India deployed along its borders with Tibet Autonomous Region. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces, established in 1962 in the aftermath of the Sino-India ...
(ITBP) in the affected area as on 20 June 13 was 600 personnel: 300 from the Ist ITBP Battalion in the Joshimath area, and 300 from the 8th ITBP Battalion in
Kedarnath Kedarnath is a town and Nagar Panchayat in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India, known primarily for the Kedarnath Temple. It is approximately 86 kilometres from Rudraprayag, the district headquarter. Kedarnath is the most remote of t ...
,
Gaurikund Gauri Kund is a Hindu pilgrimage site and base camp for trek to Kedarnath Temple, in Uttarakhand, India.Page 224, Hill Resorts of U.P. Himalaya: A Geographical Study, By Nutan Tyagi, Published 1991 by Indus Publishing, It is situated at an alt ...
, and
Gaucher Gaucher is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Charles-Étienne Gaucher (1740–1804), French engraver * Elias Gaucher, French publisher * Eric Gaucher (born 1972), American biologist * Guillaume Gamelin Gaucher (1810–188 ...
.


Conduct

For relief and rescue operations, the Army divided the affected areas into four axes, or sub sectors: Rishikesh
Uttarkashi Uttarkashi, meaning Varanasi, Kashi of the north, is a town located in Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, India. Uttarkashi town is headquarters of the district. Uttarkashi is also known as Somya Kashi. Uttarkashi is a religious place for spir ...
Harsil Harsil, the Himalayan paradise, is a village, tourist hill station and army area located on the banks of the Bhagirathi River, on the way to Gangotri, a Hindu pilgrimage site in Uttarkashi district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Situated ...
Gangotri axis
Rudraprayag Rudraprayag is a town and a municipality in Rudraprayag district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Rudraprayag is one of the Panch Prayag (five confluences) of Alaknanda River, the point of confluence of rivers Alaknanda and Mandakini. K ...
Kedarnath Kedarnath is a town and Nagar Panchayat in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India, known primarily for the Kedarnath Temple. It is approximately 86 kilometres from Rudraprayag, the district headquarter. Kedarnath is the most remote of t ...
axis
Joshimath Joshimath, also known as Jyotirmath, is a city and a municipal board in Chamoli District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Located at a height of 6150 feet (1875 m), it is a gateway to several Himalayan mountain climbing expeditions, trekki ...
Badrinath Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. A Hindu holy place, it is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage and is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. ...
axis and Dharchhula – Tawaghat axis, and
Pithoragarh Pithoragarh ( Kumaoni: ''Pithor'garh'') is a Himalayan city with a Municipal Board in Pithoragarh district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the fourth largest city of Kumaon and the largest in Kumaon hills. It is an education hub of t ...
district, in
Kumaon division Kumaon (; Kumaoni: ''Kumāū''; ; historically romanized as KemāonJames Prinsep (Editor)John McClelland ) is a revenue and administrative division in the Indian State of Uttarakhand. It spans over the eastern half of the state and is bounde ...
. The Army's response plan consisted of three broad phases. Phase One, 19–20 June; Phase Two, 21–22 June; and Phase Three, 23 June onwards. On 19–20 June, the Army conducted reconnaissance and carried out air evacuation of people stranded along
Govindghat Govindghat is a town in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India, located at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Lakshman Ganga rivers. It lies around roughly from Joshimath on NH58 at an altitude of . It is the roadhead on the way to Shree Badr ...
-
Badrinath Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. A Hindu holy place, it is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage and is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. ...
road, track from Ghagriya to
Hemkund Hemkund Sahib (also spelled Hemkunt), formally known as ''Gurudwara Shri Hemkund Sahib Ji'', is a Sikh place of worship and pilgrimage site in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India. It is devoted to Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), the tenth Si ...
to Badrinath and Ghagriya. By evening 19 June, the Army had evacuated 1,610 civilians in Uttarkashi district, 3,034 in Joshimath sector, and 1,550 people from
Govindghat Govindghat is a town in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India, located at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Lakshman Ganga rivers. It lies around roughly from Joshimath on NH58 at an altitude of . It is the roadhead on the way to Shree Badr ...
. Shelter, food and medical aid had been provided to 1,300 people in the Uttarkashi area and 1,276 in Joshmith, while medical teams had treated 300 people in Joshimath, 150 in
Harsil Harsil, the Himalayan paradise, is a village, tourist hill station and army area located on the banks of the Bhagirathi River, on the way to Gangotri, a Hindu pilgrimage site in Uttarkashi district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Situated ...
, and 70 in Rudraprag. By evening on 20 June the Army reported that it had "rescued more than 11000 people, mainly from Govindghat and
Harsil Harsil, the Himalayan paradise, is a village, tourist hill station and army area located on the banks of the Bhagirathi River, on the way to Gangotri, a Hindu pilgrimage site in Uttarkashi district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Situated ...
", and was sheltering, feeding, and providing medical assistance to about 10,000. On 20 June the army opened the road up to Uttarkashi, and to Sonprayag on Kedarnath axis. On the same day it launched a bridge across Vasuki Ganga between Mundkatiya and Sonprayag, and started work on the repair of the bridge over
Alaknanda The Alaknanda is a Himalayan river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and one of the two headstreams of the Ganges, the major river of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism. In hydrology, the Alaknanda is considered the source ...
between Govindghat and Ghagria on Hemkund Sahib track. On 20 June, the army, started work on the maintenance and improvement, and expansion of helipad at Gagaria on Hemkund Sahib axis to make it ready to accommodate the larger MI-17 helicopter to allow for speedier aerial evacuation. Following aerial reconnaissance on 19 June, the army on 21 June dropped Paratroopers in Rudraprayag-Kedarnath, Jungle Chatti, and other in accessible areas to establish contact with to stranded pilgrims and commence relief and evacuation operations. Simultaneously, it establishes "heli-bridge-air shuttle service between Jungle Chatti and Gaurikund". On 21–22 June, the army's ground troops moved to Sonprayag and Kedarnath, to build infrastructure to receive, move, assist, treat, and hold the affected people. On 23 June, phase three of the Army's operation began. The priorities of phase three included relief, rescue, search, and evacuation operations. The army worked on securing, marking, and improving helipads; repairing and installing bridges; improving and restoring tracks; establishing staging areas, transit areas, reception centres, medical aid posts; escorting and guiding people; providing food, water, shelter, and medical aid to the affected population, and most importantly providing through their presence, example, and leadership, hope, and encouragement to the stranded population. A steel foot bridge across Alaknanda at Lambagar in Badrinath Valley, by the army engineers, was under construction, on 26 June 13, to facilitate the cross river evacuation. As of 26 June Surya Hope had delivered 24 tons of food, fuel, medicines, blankets and relief material and evacuated 33,000 people, including 2,715 by thirteen helicopters of the Army Aviation Corps, which clocked over 600 sorties. Special troops trained in high altitude search, rescue, and relief work, including paratroopers and heli-borne troops, were deployed on search and rescue missions in the Kedarnath and Badrinath axis, along Arva Tal on Gangotri – Mana axis, and in the
Pindari Glacier The Pindari Glacier is a glacier found in the upper reaches of the Kumaon Himalayas, to the southeast of Nanda Devi and Nanda Kot. Geography The glacier is about 9 kilometers long and gives rise to the Pindar River which meets the Alakananda ...
, and Sunder Dunga Glacier in
Kumaon region Kumaon (; Kumaoni: ''Kumāū''; ; historically romanized as KemāonJames Prinsep (Editor)John McClelland ) is a revenue and administrative division in the Indian State of Uttarakhand. It spans over the eastern half of the state and is bounded ...
, to search, rescue, and assist, stranded civilians. Medical aid formed an important component of the mission. Doctors from Army Medical Corps (AMC), and nurses from the
Military Nursing Service The Indian Military Nursing Services is a part of Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) of the Indian Army, first formed under British rule in 1888. An officer in the Military Nursing Services is granted Permanent Commission or Short Service Comm ...
were amongst the lead elements to be deployed in the area. By 19 June it was reported that 12 self-sufficient medical teams were deployed in the area. An emergency medical helpline was opened, and military communication channels were provided to affected people to speak with their families and friends. By 25 June the strength of ‘self sufficient’ military medical posts, it was reported, had increased to 29. An ‘Accident and Emergency Services Medical Centre’ was established at Joshimath Helipad. These medical posts were manned by Army doctors, nurses, and para-medics. Medical camps were reported ready at Gothi, Dharchula, Gauridham, Tijam, and the Military Hospital at Pithoragarh, was opened for civilian casualties along the Pithoragarh – Dharchula – Tawaghat axis. Thousands of patients were provided medical attention at these facilities daily. In addition, the IAF deployed Air Force Rapid Action Medical Teams, with the air stations, and detachments. On 26 June a team of two psychiatrists from the Army Medical Corps(AMC) opened a post disaster and trauma counselling centre in the Joshimath sector, to provide counselling to the civil population stranded at Badrinath and Kedarnath. The same day teams from the Army Veterinary Corps consisting of a veterinary doctor and two paramedics were inserted by helicopter to establish Animal Aid Posts along the Hemkund axis to take care of ponies and mules stranded in the area. Similar aid posts were planned for Gauri Kund. In addition to humanitarian operations in the high
Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...
, Central Command carried out rescue, relief, and assistance missions in the flood affected areas on the plains in Uttar Pradesh. Six Army humanitarian columns were deployed on 20 June to cover the Pilibhit,
Muzaffarnagar Muzaffarnagar is a city under Muzaffarnagar District in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated midway on the Delhi - Haridwar/ Dehradun National Highway (NH 58) and is also well connected with the national railway network. It is ...
,
Laksar Laksar is a small town, near Haridwar city and Nagar Palika in Haridwar district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand, situated along National Highway 334A. It is an important sugar manufacturing destination in the state and also known for the L ...
and
Amroha Amroha is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is located north-west of Moradabad, near the Ganga River. It is the administrative headquarters of the Amroha district. Geography Amroha is located north-west of Moradabad, near th ...
districts in
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
. Two columns were deployed for missions in
Saharanpur Saharanpur is a city and a municipal corporation in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also the administrative headquarters of Saharanpur district. Saharanpur city's name was given after the Saint Shah Haroon Chishti. Saharanpur is declared as on ...
and Bijnor districts. In the plains the army assisted with evacuation of flood affected persons, and construction of anti-flood bunds.


Appraisal

The Government of Uttarakhand, and
Vijay Bahuguna Vijay Bahuguna (born 28 February 1947) is an Indian politician who served as the 6th Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. He is the eldest son of Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna, an independence activist and politician, and also a former Chief Minister of Ut ...
, the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, have been blamed for not taking heed of the meteorological departments warning, failing to issue timely evacuation advisory, for being ill-prepared, for tardy and disorganised response, and poor leadership. Some have suggested that it was not a natural disaster but a man made disaster. Chief Minister Bahuguna denied that it was a man made disaster stating that "There was no delay" and that "more than a lakh people were evacuated without any law and order problem, so credit should go to the government", adding "I don't agree that it is a man-made disaster. Calamities are not in our control. I cannot control tsunami, earthquake or cloudburst." The army's and the IAF's performance and discipline, in the response to the Humanitarian crisis in Uttarakhand, has been widely applauded. The performance of the NDMA and the NDRF, organisations which are well-funded, has been faulted. It was criticised for providing a tardy, sloppy response to the disaster and for failing "miserably in its first major challenge". There was no clear accounting of the dead, injured and missing, even two weeks after the flash floods struck the state on 17 June. As late as 2 July 2013, official figures for the dead and missing varied between of 800 to over 10,000. Govind Singh Kunjwal, Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker, and the NDMA's vice-chairman, Shashidhar Reddy, on 1 July, estimated that "more than 10,000" were killed by the floods. The Home Ministry estimate of the death toll was lower at 800. Vijay Bahuguna, the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, thought that the death toll "will exceed 1000". Controversially on 1 July, he said, "We will never know the exact number of the dead and the number of people buried or washed away." Even for the missing there were varied estimates. The
Uttarakhand Police The Uttarakhand Police is the law enforcement agency for the state of Uttarakhand in India and it was formed in 2000. Organisational structure Uttarakhand Police comes under the direct control of Department of Home Affairs, Government of Utta ...
estimated the missing to be no more than 500. NDMA, UN agencies, and NGOs, estimates on 2 July for 'missing' was upward of 10,000. A week later on 8 July Vijay Bahuguna, the Chief Minister, said over 4000 were missing, of whom 795 were from Uttarakhand, his home state. On 15 July, the official toll for the disaster was 580 confirmed dead, and 5,748 missing (924, from Uttarakhand and 4,824 are from other Indian states). The Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna confirmed that Uttarakhand was not issuing death certificates, “We are only giving some monetary help to the family.” "The total fatalities for the purposes of compensation thus is 6328. The state authorities have decided to treat the ‘missing’ as presumed dead for the purposes of compensation, even though the usual time lag between being ‘missing’ and being declared dead is seven years. The next of kin of the dead and the ‘missing’ will be paid Rupees 500,000 ($8,394). Residents of Uttarakhand will be paid by the state government. Those from other states will be paid 350, 000 by the central government, and 150,000, by the state government."


Timeline

13 June 2013: Meteorological Department (IMD), Dehradun, forecast "heavy to very heavy rainfall in the upper regions of Uttarakhand in the next 48 to 72 hours". The Central Government, Uttarakhund Government, and the National Disaster Management Authority, ignore the warning. 14–16 June 2013: Heavy unseasonal monsoon rain in north India, trigger floods, and landslides, in the north western mountain states of
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
,
Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
, and
Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...
. 17 June 2013: Army aviation helicopters conduct aerial reconnaissance of Himalayan temple town
Kedarnath Kedarnath is a town and Nagar Panchayat in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India, known primarily for the Kedarnath Temple. It is approximately 86 kilometres from Rudraprayag, the district headquarter. Kedarnath is the most remote of t ...
. Army orders an infantry unit to send a foot column to establish contact with the beleaguered temple town. Next day, early morning, after a night march, an infantry column reaches Kedarnath. The
Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The c ...
based Uttar Bharat Area mobilises headquarters to move to Dehradun, the state capital. India Army's Central Command starts deployment of 5000 troops in the flood affected areas, in response named "Operation Ganga Prahar". Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters conducts relief and rescue missions in Nakur area, Saharanpur district, in Uttar Pradesh and Indri Sub division of
Karnal Karnal ( is a city located in the state of Haryana, India and is the administrative headquarters of Karnal District. It was used by East India Company army as a refuge during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in Delhi. The Battle of Karnal between ...
district, in Haryana state. IAF station Sarsawa designated as hub for helicopter operations. Medium lift helicopters including MI -17 V5s, moved to Jollygrant helipad, Dehradun. Late in the evening, Defense Minister A.K. Antony, alerts the Armed Forces for relief and rescue mission. Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, returns from Delhi. 18 June 2013: Lt-General Navtej Singh Bawa, the general officer commanding (GOC) Uttar Bharat Area, moves to Dehradun, to lead the Army disaster response and co-ordinate with the State government, and other agencies. Indian Air Force's humanitarian mission, named ''Operation Rahat''. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), outlines response to the unfolding disaster. On 15 June, the Inspector General, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Uttarakhand, ordered to "get in touch with Chief Secretary and provide whatever assistance was required by the State Government"; Border Road Organisation (BRO) asked to "facilitate restoration of road communication across the different routes"; 12 additional teams of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) ordered to be deployed to
Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
, and 34 deaths confirmed in Uttarakhund. Rudraprayag, for the next four days was without a district magistrate and no system was in place to get information on who died, where the injured had been admitted and who were still trapped. No deputy collector was posted in Gaurikund, Sonprayag, Phata and Guptkashi for five days 19 June 2013: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is also Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the
Indian Congress Party The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...
President Sonia Gandhi, carry out an aerial survey of affected area. The PM calls the situation in Uttarrakhand a '
disaster A disaster is a serious problem occurring over a short or long period of time that causes widespread human, material, economic or environmental loss which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources ...
' and directs "all Central Agencies to render all possible assistance in their domain to the State.” Responders in affected area include Army-5500, Border Roads Organisation-3000, ITBP -600, National Disaster Response Force 13 teams-422,
helicopters A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
(IAF, army and civil) 18 and
C-130 The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...
-1. 20 June 2013: Disaster toll : Districts affected: 09; Deaths: 71; Injured: 53; Missing: 23; Livestock lost: 1157; Houses 'fully' damaged: 366; Houses partially damaged: 272; Bridges damaged: 21; Stranded pilgrims: 62,122; Persons rescued: 22,392 (1295 in Kedarnath, 8878 in Chamoli,7219 in Uttrakashi,2000 in Tehiri,3000 in Pithoragarh). 21 June 2013: V.K. Duggal, retired bureaucrat, and one of the eight members of the NDMA, holding the post of Minister of State designated nodal officer to co-ordinate rescue, relief, and assistance mission. Uttarakhand Government posts 12 officers to disaster affected areas as nodal officers to co-ordinate the response. The officers reach their respective posts on 22 and 23 June. 25 June 2013: An IAF Mi-17 V5 helicopter on a relief and rescue mission from Gauchar to Guptkashi and Kedarnath on return leg from Kedarnath crashed North of Gaurikund. 20 persons on board were killed. Of these five were IAF crew members, and 15 ITBP soldiers, of whom 9 were on deputation with NDRF. 26 June 2013: Central Command launches a website for reporting "minute to minute" progress on Operation Surya Hope in Uttarakhand. The site provides location wise list of stranded and rescued persons, and press releases(10) issued by Central Command. Government imports 25 satellite phones from Hong Kong for the ill-prepared NDMA and NDRF. 28 June 13: General Bikram Singh, the Chief of the Army Staff, on a visit to Gaucher, in Uttarakhand, while speaking to a journalist, says that the purpose of Operation Surya Hope was to provide “aid to civil authorities”, to “strengthen the hands of the civil administration”. The Army confirms that all people stranded in Kedarnath had been evacuated, and that the road to Badrinath was open. 30 June 2013: A Ministry of Defence update notes that the IAF from 17 to 30 June 2013, had airlifted 18,424 persons, in 2,137 sorties, and delivered 3,36,930 kg of relief supplies. 2 July 2013: The evacuation of all stranded pilgrims is completed. BBC described it as "one of the world's largest air rescue operations". 10 July 2013: Army Engineers start work on a new 20 km route to restore land communication with Kedarnath, which has remained cut off since 16 June. An advance team of four officers and 21 soldiers reach Gomkara on 11 July. The alignment of the new route, which in places is over 13,000 feet, is Sonprayag-Gomkar-Dev Vishnu-Dhungaj Giri-Kedarnath. 15 July 2013: Officials confirmed that the disaster toll was 580 dead, and 5,748 missing (924 from Uttarakhand and 4,824 from other Indian states), and that a total of 108,653 people have been evacuated from affected area by air and foot. 16 September 2013 Subhash Kumar, Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand, issued revised figures for missing persons from 5,100 to 4,120, including 421 children. The revised figures, compiled by the Dehradun-based Missing Persons Cell, are based on a review of the
First Information Report __NOTOC__ A first information report (FIR) is a document prepared by police organisations in Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asian countries including Myanmar, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan when they receive information about the commissio ...
s (FIRs) recorded in the state's 13 districts. The state wise distribution of missing persons is: 852 from Uttarakhand (including 652 from Rudrapryag district alone), 1,150 from Uttar Pradesh, 542 from Madhya Pradesh, 511 from Rajasthan, 216 from Delhi, 163 from Maharashtra, 129 from Gujarat, 112 from Haryana, 86 from Andhra Pradesh, 58 from Bihar, 40 from Jharkhand, 36 from West Bengal, 33 from Punjab, 29 from Chhattisgarh, 26 from Odisha, 14 each from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, six from
Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of Assam: (a) the United Khasi Hills and J ...
, four from Chandigarh, three from Jammu and Kashmir, two from Kerala and one each from
Puducherry Puducherry or Pondicherry may refer to: * Puducherry (union territory), a union territory of India ** Pondicherry, capital of the union territory of Puducherry ** Puducherry district, a district of the union territory of Puducherry ** Puducherry t ...
and
Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
.


See also

*
2013 North India floods In June 2013, a mid-day cloudburst centered on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand caused devastating floods and landslides, becoming the country's worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami. The rainfall received that month was far great ...
*
Operation Rahat Operation Rahat ( hi, राहत ''Rāhat'', lit. "Relief") was the name given to the Indian Air Force's rescue operations to evacuate civilians affected by the 2013 North India floods. Thousands of pilgrims in transit in the hill states of Utt ...


References


External links


Central Command SuryaHope

GoogleMap: 2013 Uttarakhand Flooding Crisis Response



Disaster Management in India
{{Natural disasters in India Indian Army Non-combat military operations involving India Humanitarian military operations
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
Floods in India 2013 disasters in India