Indian Navy's Flood Relief Assistance to Srilanka circa 2003
In mid May 2003, Sri Lanka suffered one of the island's worst instances of flooding, caused by unseasonal, torrential rains that lashed the southern and central parts of the country. The districts of Ratnapura, Matara, Kalutara and Hambantota were particularly badly affected by the prevailing floods, stranding an estimated fifteen thousand people and causing widespread damage to property. The limited resources available to the Government of Sri Lanka were dwarfed by the sheer magnitude of the problem and, on the 18th of May 2003, the Government made an appeal for assistance to the international community in general and to India in particular. The immediate requirement was for the supply of a number of inflatable craft (generically known as "GEMINIS", which are powered by outboard motors), and blankets.
The government of India readily agreed to afford whatever support was necessary and turned to the Indian armed forces to provide the human and material wherewithal that was needed. The Integrated Defence Headquarters rapidly put together a consolidated and well-coordinated plan (codenamed "OPERATION DENIM") and tasked the individual armed forces accordingly. Mindful of the much larger reaction times necessary to get the large IL-76 transport aircraft to lift the required men and material drawn from the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, reacted with characteristic alacrity and immediately ordered one of its Offshore Patrol Vessels the 1200-tonne warship, INS Sharda, which was under the command of Commander Shyam Kumar, to the scene of action. Recognising that speed of reaction was of the essence, the warship sailed within four hours of the information having been received. In this incredibly short space of time, as many as nine Geminis, along with their outboard motors, thirty-three specialist naval divers, three medical teams along with a large quantity of medical stores and equipment, a Chetak helicopter (complete with its maintenance and support crew and equipment) especially configured for search and rescue missions by night and day, and, a large quantity of drinking-water sachets, bottled water, and polythene-packed food sachets were embarked. The warship sped swiftly to Galle harbour and, by 9 p.m. on the 19th, the Indian navy was in action, albeit in its most humane avatar! It is this ability to undertake any mission, anywhere, and the demonstrated versatility in being able to provide either humanitarian support, or destructive firepower, all within a very short space of time, that characterises warships, and the Navy as a mature and experienced fighting service, the Indian Navy is very accomplished in exploiting such characteristics.
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Miro