NDRF men facilitate safe delivery of 8 kids in flood-hit areas of Bihar

A heavily pregnant woman was stuck in a remote village in Bihar, cut off by raging flood, until NDRF personnel rescued her to a health centre in its boat, making her the eighth case wherein the force facilitated the delivery of women stuck in similar situations.

Seema Devi, who was in advanced stage of pregnancy, was stuck near Jhanjharpur town in Madhubani district, where heavily rainfall over the past few days have led to flooding in many areas. Rivers have swollen above the danger mark, inundating the lower areas.

On Tuesday, the Jhanjharpur circle officer sought NDRF's help to rescue Devi.

Soon, National Disaster Response Force personnel scrambled to the flood-hit Naraur village. They moved her in a boat to a health centre in Jhanjharpur where she delivered a baby girl. Later, on the advice of doctors, she was moved back to her home by NDRF in another boat.

NDRF said in a statement on Wednesday it has so far rescued eight women, who were in advance stage of pregnancy, from flood-hit areas of Bihar.

While three cases were from Madhubani, two each were reported from Muzaffarpur and Araria and one from Motihari district, said Commandant, NDRF 9 battalion, Vijay Sinha said.

The force has deployed 90 boats, equipped with delivery kit, medical first respondent items such as bandage etc. for carrying relief and rescue operation in marooned areas.

They are also running six river ambulances to provide immediate medicare.

Every river ambulance has medical staff and healthcare equipment, including stretchers, oxygen cylinders and life-saving medicines.

The 9th battalion is headquartered in Bihta near Patna. It has facilitated child births on its boats several times in the past.

One such delivery was reported in 2013 in Bhojpur district.

In 2016, three, including a twin, were born on NDRF boats in Vaishali district.

Three deliveries were done in NDRF boats in separate inundated areas of Bihar in 2017.

Nineteen NDRF teams have been deployed in flood-hit districts of north Bihar this year.

NDRF has rescued more than 4,000 people from floods in Bihar, Sinha said.