Bihar floods: NDRF team helps woman deliver baby on boat

Patna, Aug 25: Working round-the-clock to help flood victims in Bihar, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel rendered timely help to three marooned pregnant women at separate places deliver their babies safely.

The NDRF men helped a pregnant woman in Birpur deliver a healthy baby boy on board its relief boat itself in Raghopur block of Vaishali district today, Commandant of 9th battalion of NDRF Vijay Sinha told on Wednesday.

He said the woman named Roshni, who was being ferried to a safer place, experienced acute labour pain following which NDRF pharmacist Jayshankar helped her deliver a healthy baby boy on board the boat itself.

The new-born and the mother were taken to Mahnar primary health centre for proper medicare, Sinha said.

Raghopur, the Assembly constituency of deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav, is flooded due to the swollen Ganga.

Yesterday, the NDRF personnel had helped two marooned pregnant ladies in distress.

They took a woman experiencing labour pain at Gyaspur village in Bhakhtiyarpur of Patna district to the nearest primary health centre last night, the Commandant said.

"Due to the timely assistance, the woman delivered a healthy baby girl at Bhakhtiyarpur PHC," he said.

The NDRF personnel had earlier heard cries of help of another pregnant lady at Sinha village in Barhara block of Bhojpur district and ferried her to the nearest hospital for safe delivery, he added.

Engaged in relief and rescue of marooned people, the NDRF personnel came to know about the woman in Bhojpur from the Disaster Management department control room and rushed to help the 22-year-old woman who was in labour pain.

The Bihta-based NDRF Commandant said the force personnel get training in child birth to help people in need.

He said during the floods last year, a NDRF team had helped a woman in Ara town give birth to a baby in midstream Ganga on board one of the boats of the central force.

Similarly, another lady in Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh received timely help from the NDRF to deliver safely during floods there.

The Commandant said in the Ara case last year, the family had named the baby boy 'NDRF Singh' out of gratitude for the help extended by the NDRF personnel.

PTI