NDRF training on improvised rafts of water bottles, balls come

Due to National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)'s community awareness programme, people are using household items like water bottle, coconut, football, volleyball in building improvised rafts to save their lives in flood-affected Bihar.
The ninth battalion of NDRF has trained more than 4.5 lakh people through its community awareness programme for students, panchayat members and those engaged with self-help groups in Bihar and Jharkhand since 2011, its Commandant Vijay Sinha said in a statement here today.
"These improvised rafts made of household items are proving beneficial for citizens battling floods in Bihar in time of shortage of boats," he said.
The improvised rafts used by people include those made of water-bottle, coconut, football and volleyball.

Water bottle rafts are made of six to seven empty bottles held tightly with nylon rope. The bottles are arranged in a way that their mouth are inside the water. A person can tie this type of raft to the chest and swim to safety, a statement by the NDRF said.
Barrel raft is another popular improvised raft used in Nakta Diara area on bank of the Ganga. It is made of two empty PVC barrels tied together.

Ball raft is another innovative device. Two footballs or volleyballs are tied with nylon rope on two sides and are tied in the chest to swim to safety in flood waters.

Coconut raft are also widely in use during Bihar floods. This is made out of dry coconut. Six to eight dry coconuts bound together with a nylon rope are tied to the chest to swim to safety, the NDRF statement added.
Make-shift rafts made of stems of banana trees and also empty tin boxes are also proving handy for the people marooned in the floods, it said.