The rescue operation to save the three-year-old girl who fell into a borewell in Rajasthan five days ago was hit due to heavy rain on Friday. Chetna, who fell into the borewell while playing on her father’s farm on Monday, has been without food and water for five days.
The girl is stuck at a depth of 150 feet in the 700-foot borewell. A 170-foot tunnel parallel to the borewell has been dug, and an L-shaped pipe system has been installed to reach Chetna. However, heavy rain prevented rescue teams from descending into the tunnel to bring her out safely.
Presently, work is going on to set up waterproof tents at the site in Kotputli-Behror district. To protect the borewell from rainwater, it has been securely covered from all sides.
Speaking about the operation, senior police officer Vaibhav Sharma said the administration was committed to rescuing Chetna, but intermittent rainfall was hindering efforts.
Once the rain subsides, the ‘rat miners’, who previously helped in rescuing workers trapped in an Uttarakhand tunnel in 2023, will descend and bring Chetna out. The rescue operation has already stretched beyond 100 hours, with intermittent heavy rainfall disrupting excavation work.
The rescue operation is being overseen by a joint team of the NDRF, SDRF, along with the district collector and the police. Initially, attempts were made to pull out the girl using an iron ring attached to a rope.
However, there was no luck and a piling machine was brought to the spot on Wednesday to dig a tunnel parallel to the borewell. To accelerate the operation, a 100-tonne capacity crane was brought in on Thursday, replacing the 50-tonne machine.
A medical team and an ambulance have been stationed. Once rescued, Chetna will be taken to the Kotputli hospital.
Chetna’s parents have accused the administration of negligence during the initial phase of the rescue operation. The health of her mother, who has gone without food since Monday, has deteriorated and has been under the watch of doctors.
