NDRF teams have been deployed at Chhath ghats in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Deoghar and Hazaribag to prevent drowning incidents as lakhs of devotees prepare to gather at ponds, riverbanks and other waterbodies across Jharkhand on November 15 and 16.
National Disaster Response Force deputy commandant Vinay Kumar said the teams would support safety arrangements during rituals when devotees offer prayers to the setting and rising sun. Each NDRF team has 30 members trained in rescue operations, including deep diving.
The teams will patrol the ghats and ensure that devotees remain within barricaded areas established by local administrations. An NDRF official in Ranchi said the teams would carry lifebuoys to assist anyone suspected of drowning. Deep divers would be deployed if a victim went below the water surface.
In Deoghar, the NDRF unit has been divided into two groups and posted at two ponds, according to sources cited in the report. In Ranchi, an NDRF team will be stationed at Dhurwa Dam, while a State Disaster Response Force team will be deployed at Vivekananda Sarovar, also known as Ranchi Lake.
The arrangements extend beyond the four districts where NDRF teams have been placed. Ranchi deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri said officials had been directed to arrange additional divers at other ponds expected to draw large crowds. These divers will remain deployed from Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon, with their contact details to be shared with administrative and police officials for faster coordination during an emergency.
The district administration has also placed warning signage at 260 waterbodies in Ranchi where the water is deep. The signs caution devotees against crossing barricaded limits while performing rituals and offering prayers.
The deployment places rescue personnel, physical crowd-control measures and advance warnings together at locations where large gatherings are expected. The immediate focus of the arrangements is to keep devotees within designated safe zones and enable a rapid response if anyone enters deeper water or requires rescue.
The NDRF and SDRF deployments will remain in place through the main Chhath rituals on November 15 and 16, while local administrative and police officials will coordinate with the divers and rescue teams during the gatherings.
