Year ender: How the Army rescued thousands during August floods
By late August 2024, the Indian Army was conducting "Operation Rahat" to help people in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir after severe floods.
Over two weeks, they pulled off a massive rescue and relief effort—saving lives, providing medical care, and fixing key infrastructure.
Over 6,000 people evacuated, 13,000 treated
The Army ran 82 disaster relief missions with help from engineers and support teams.
They evacuated over 6,000 people (including paramilitary staff), treated around 13,000 civilians for injuries or illness, and delivered about 48 tons of essentials—food, water, medicines—to cut-off communities.
Restoring connectivity, rebuilding roads
Army and Air Force helicopters flew more than 250 hours to reach remote areas. Teams also laid over two kilometers of fiber cables to bring back mobile connectivity.
Working with local authorities and disaster response forces (NDRF/SDRF), the Army rebuilt roads and embankments—and even put up a new Bailey bridge at Jammu Tawi in just 12 hours.
Medical camps and community kitchens were set up to keep everyone supported during the crisis.