A BSF jawan patrols the border which is waterlogged after the floods
It's mid-day. As the sun beats down, a section of jawans from the Border Security Force wades through waist-deep water along the fence in Jammu's Akhnoor sector. The fence here is just a few metres away from "0" line or the border demarcating India and Pakistan.
Five days of incessant rain in the state followed by flooding of the Chenab River has washed away over 40 kilometres of the fencing. Censors and cameras positioned near the "0" line have either been damaged or destroyed.
"There was eight feet of water here... We moved to higher ground with weapons and ration... But the patrolling routine was on... There has
been no let up," said Ranvir Singh, Company Commander of the border outpost at Kanachak, which is a stone's throw away from the Pakistan Rangers' post. The area has seen several ceasefire violations in the last couple of months and a few infiltration attempts as well.
Every day, at least six patrol teams go out - at an interval of every four hours - wading through water, slush and muck, checking on fence , border pillar post and looking for signs of infiltration. The vigil has been increased after the floods.
(Also Read: For Army, the Crucial Task of Securing a Border After Floods)The foot patrol also carries sticks along with their weapons to ward off snakes. "The area is infested with snakes. The floods have made it worse," said Inspector Chaman Lal, leading the patrol.
Since last Friday, the BSF company lugged their weapons, ammunition, rations to higher ground near the post and waited. "For about 72 hours, it was no sleep, little food," said Ranvir Singh.
Damaged bunkers which are now mounds of slush and mud and a veritable marsh formed by the receding flood waters have only made it tougher for the jawans.
While a section of them patrols the border, wet boots and uniforms hung out to dry at the outpost suggest another team is getting ready to go back into the slush and water.