Gurdaspur’s Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya flooded; 360 students 40 staff stranded, await boats for rescue
Parents who managed to reach the school reached in a tractor-trolley with great difficulty, said Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya principal.
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Kumar stated that the school has contacted administrative officers who are sending rescue teams. (Express photo)Floodwaters entered Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Daburi in Punjab’s Gurdaspur, submerging the campus and leaving over 300 students stranded on Wednesday morning. The flood situation across Punjab turned alarming as water levels in major dams such as Bhakra, Pong, Ranjit Sagar, and Shahpur Kandi surged close to or above their designed thresholds.
“We have around four to five feet of water inside the school. Around 360 students of the total 400 and around 40 staff members are still here. Though some children were picked up by parents, a huge majority of them are on the campus,” Principal Naresh Kumar said, adding that the school had already informed the families of stranded children.
Kumar stated that the school has contacted administrative officers who are sending rescue teams. “Right now, we need boats so that the rescue can happen properly,” he mentioned.
Parents who managed to reach the school reached in a tractor-trolley with great difficulty, Kumar said, urging safer evacuation options.
Water began entering the campus early on Wednesday, rising sharply by dawn.
“Water started rising around 3 am. It was slow. Then it suddenly increased in the morning. Some say the river breached, some say water was released from Ranjit Sagar Dam,” the principal said.
Meanwhile, the stranded children and school staff were provided with food and drinking water as they waited for evacuation. “Children have had breakfast and water; there is no problem on that front,” Kumar said.
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