Kullu News
Himachal cloudburst: Four workers rescued from Malana power house after 35 hours of effort
In a dramatic rescue operation, four workers have been rescued safely after being stranded for 35 hours due to a cloudburst at the Malana-One Hydroelectric project in Parvati Valley.
Kullu, 02 August: In a dramatic rescue operation, four workers have been rescued safely after being stranded for 35 hours due to a cloudburst at the Malana-One Hydroelectric project in Parvati Valley. The rescue operation, which concluded on Friday morning, involved coordinated efforts of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Home Guard rescue teams and a private rescue team.
The workers were stranded since 10:00 pm on July 31. Though the NDRF team initially began work on August 1 itself, they were delayed in reaching the site due to challenging conditions. By Thursday, 29 of the 33 people initially stranded at the Malana-One project had been rescued. The remaining four were successfully evacuated on Friday morning.
The crisis began on Wednesday night when a cloudburst breached the dam of the Malana Power Project-One and triggered a devastating flood. The floodwaters caused extensive damage, destroying a government school, two temples and eight houses in Baladhi village. The rising water level in the Parvati river also washed away a bridge.
The situation was worse in Baladhi village, with 45 people stranded for hours as the village became an island surrounded by floodwaters. The group comprised 22 locals from eight families and 23 people of Nepali origin. After braving the horrific conditions for five to six hours, the water level finally receded enough for rescue teams to reach them and take them to safety.
The incident highlights the vulnerability of infrastructure in the region to natural disasters and underlines the need for better disaster preparedness and response mechanisms.