Operation Surya Hope
Operation Surya Hope was the Indian Army’s Central Command response to the June 2013 North India floods in Uttarakhand.
[2] The humanitarian disaster affected millions, stranded over 100,000 pilgrims and tourists in Himalayan religious sites, and killed several thousand people.
[12][16] 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.
[9] The helicopters carried out their mission in hazardous mountain conditions, often in rain and fog, in what one pilot called a "war like situation".
[1] 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.
[1] By evening on 20 June the Army reported that it had "rescued more than 11000 people, mainly from Govindghat and Harsil", and was sheltering, feeding, and providing medical assistance to about 10,000.
[28] 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.
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.
[1][30] 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.
[31] 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.
An emergency medical helpline was opened, and military communication channels were provided to affected people to speak with their families and friends.
[31] In addition to humanitarian operations in the high Himalayas, 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, Laksar and Amroha districts in Uttar Pradesh.
[2][19] There was no clear accounting of the dead, injured and missing, even two weeks after the flash floods struck the state on 17 June.
[38] 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 Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna confirmed that Uttarakhand was not issuing death certificates, “We are only giving some monetary help to the family.”[41] "The total fatalities for the purposes of compensation thus is 6328.
[2][43] 17 June 2013: Army aviation helicopters conduct aerial reconnaissance of Himalayan temple town Kedarnath.
Army orders an infantry unit to send a foot column to establish contact with the beleaguered temple town.
The Bareilly based Uttar Bharat Area mobilises headquarters to move to Dehradun, the state capital.
[44] India Army's Central Command starts deployment of 5000 troops in the flood affected areas, in response named "Operation Ganga Prahar".
[47] 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.
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, and 34 deaths confirmed in Uttarakhund.
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 President Sonia Gandhi, carry out an aerial survey of affected area.
[51][52][53] The PM calls the situation in Uttarrakhand a 'disaster' and directs "all Central Agencies to render all possible assistance in their domain to the State.”[24] Responders in affected area include Army-5500, Border Roads Organisation-3000, ITBP -600, National Disaster Response Force 13 teams-422, helicopters (IAF, army and civil) 18 and C-130-1.
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.
[55] The site provides location wise list of stranded and rescued persons, and press releases(10) issued by Central Command.
[16] 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.
[59] 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.
[41] 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 Reports (FIRs) recorded in the state's 13 districts.
