Woman delivers baby on NDRF boat in flood-hit Bihar

The woman named Rima Devi (age- 25 yrs), wife of Muni Lal Mahato, resident of village Gobari, Block- Banjariya, District- East Champaran (Motihari) was in advanced stage of pregnancy at river Burhi Gandak flood-hit village. On getting information about this marooned pregnant lady, rescuers of 9 Battalion NDRF who were engaged in search and rescue operation near the same village after a drowning incident, promptly responded & rushed to her house by boat. NDRF Team with the help of one Asha worker professionally tackled the situation & after assessing her condition, NDRF evacuated her to the nearby Primary Health Centre, Banjariya.

During the course of evacuation on NDRF rescue boat, she developed severe labour pain. Noticing this, NDRF rescuers who were accompanied with a Asha worker & her family member seeing no other way out, decided to help the expecting mother deliver on the boat itself in the flood water of river Burhi Gandak. Finally, she delivered a baby girl on NDRF rescue boat under supervision of NDRF rescuers & Asha worker. Further, the mother & new born baby girl were shifted to nearby PHC Banjariya (Motihari) by ambulance where their condition is found stable.

NDRF personnel are trained in Medical First Responder and during course of professional training all rescuers are taught handling of childbirth during emergency along with other disaster response training. This is the 10th childbirth on  NDRF boat while evacuating expecting mothers from flood-hit areas since year 2013.

Presently total 21 teams of NDRF are deployed in 12 districts of Bihar to tackle flood disaster.