Reokong Peo (Kinnaur), June 29
Armed with advance information about the dangerous rise in the water level of the Sutlej, jawans of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) may have saved the lives of hundreds of people living along the banks of the river in this district.

A contingent of the 17th Battalion of the ITBP stationed here went about warning people in villages about the impending flood in the river last Saturday. The jawans accompanied by civil authorities asked the people to vacate their houses, shops and commercial establishments just a few hours before the water level rose dangerously. Mr Resham Singh of Puari, who met The Tribune, team here, said he had been warned by a jawan of the ITBP.

The ITBP was the first to receive information of the impending flood as it has a monitoring station at Sumdoh where the Spiti enters India from Tibet. Spiti was carrying the water from the Parchu originating from Tibet. This later joins the Sutlej at Khab, about 75 km from here.

The water level had risen on Saturday night and ITBP jawans stationed at Sumdoh informed the base here. This timely information saved people unlike July/August 2000 when there was no information on the rise in waters and hundreds were washed away on that dreaded night of July 31.

The Commandant of ITBP, Mr R.S. Negi says: “We formed teams which went out and told people in villages of Puari and Tangling to leave their homes.” In these places people lost property but lives were saved. At these places, like elsewhere, the Sutlej rose menacingly and furiously, said Mr Negi, who was an eyewitness to the fury of the river. He has also captured the flood on his handycam and showed the footage to The Tribune team when we met him on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, apart from the ITBP’s operations, in true traditions of working in rescue operations, pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) are now flying sorties carrying people, rations and supplies. The IAF pilots are flying from Shimla to Rampur Bushahr. Besides this, helipads at Reokong Peo, Pooh and Sangla are being used to drop and pick up mail, rations and relief material. Actually the choppers are a lifeline in this area now. The machines are expected to bring anything and everything under the sun to this remote Himalayan region.