Flood forces pregnant Bihar woman to reach hospital in 'Jugaru' boat

In the wake of the ongoing floods in Bihar, an eight months pregnant woman from Darbhanga district was taken to the local Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in a makeshift boat made of wooden boards and large-size tubes on Tuesday, said an ANI report.

Ruksana Praveen was accompanied by her mother and other villagers who steered the boat, dubbed as ‘Jugaru Nav’ by the locals, in chest-deep water.

Circle Officer of the block Ajit Kumar said that the relative of the woman did not wait for the arrival of the boat that was arranged by the district administration.

“By the time the boat reached, they had left on the floating tube. She was treated and relieved from the PHC. Later, she was sent back to her village with the help of the SDRF team,” he told Times of India.

Praveen’s mother, Kanija Khatoon, said, “As the flood water has reached our house, it was difficult to take my daughter to the hospital. As her health was deteriorating, we managed to build a makeshift boat to help her reach the hospital.”

Due to heavy rains, several districts of Bihar are waterlogged. The India Meteorological Department predicted heavy rainfall in certain areas of Bihar on July 21-22.