“For years, the NDRF focused primarily on saving lives during disasters": Senior Official - NDRF
NEW DELHI: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will soon operationalise its first contingent of cadaver dogs, canines trained to detect human remains in disaster or accident zones during the critical “golden hour.”
Nearly half a dozen Belgian Malinois and Labrador retrievers have been in training for several months at NDRF battalion bases in Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu, and Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. To simulate the scent of a human corpse, the force procured a specialised odourant from abroad, officials said.
“For years, the NDRF focused primarily on saving lives during disasters,” a senior officer explained. “Utilising the golden hour to find survivors has been our guiding principle, so locating human remains was not previously a priority.” However, operations such as landslide and train-accident recoveries often require body retrieval, he noted, underscoring the importance of providing closure to victims’ families.
Recognising this need, the NDRF launched its inaugural cadaver-dog training programme earlier this year. A second officer pointed out that few Indian state rescue forces maintain such dogs, and those that do report mixed success. Canine detection of the deceased is especially challenging, as performance depends on variables like weather, humidity, snow, and competing odours.
“Training cadaver dogs poses unique challenges,” the officer said. “Real human remains are scarce for training, so we use an artificial scent that closely mimics human decomposition.”
The dogs are expected to complete their training next month, after which they will be assigned to specific battalions within the NDRF’s 16-unit nationwide network. “This capability was missing from our arsenal,” the senior officer added. “Once deployed, we will assess their success rate in actual operations.”
Earlier deployments of Kerala Police cadaver dogs, during the Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel collapse in Telangana and the 2024 Wayanad landslides, demonstrated their value in locating victims. Raised in 2006, the NDRF now comprises roughly 18,000 rescuers organised into 16 battalions and over 30 regional response centres across India.
