In a major breakthrough late on Monday night, a six-inch pipe was inserted through the debris of a collapsed section of the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarakhand. Later on Tuesday, audio-visual communication was also restored with the stranded workers. 41 workers are stranded after a part of the tunnel collapsed following a landslide on November 12. Since then, rescue operations are being carried out on war footing.
However, rescue efforts have become slow and complicated due to falling debris as well as repeated breakdowns of vital heavy drilling machines, with the Air Force having to airlift in new kit twice, the news agency said. PTI informed of.
five options
According to reports, officials are planning five methods to rescue people trapped inside the collapsed tunnel. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said that various government agencies have earlier joined the rescue operations and have been assigned specific tasks. Five different agencies were detailed to carry out five different options. The area where the workers are trapped is 8.5 meters high and 2 km long.
“Five agencies namely Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Satluj Hydropower Corporation (SJVNL), Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), and Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited (THDCL) The responsibilities have been assigned,” Anurag Jain, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, said.
Jain also explained the rescue plans in the video below:
Here are the five schemes of the government in detail:
1. 1.2 meter wide hole after vertical drilling
Rescue workers plan to dig a 1.2 meter wide hole perpendicular to the top of the tunnel. This will be done up to a distance of 90 meters to reach the workers. Hindustan Times Reported on Tuesday. “Once the site is ready, vertical drilling will begin,” Arnold Dix said. vertical drilling It is very important that this is done with great precision.”
The first vertical drilling machine reached the Silkyara Tunnel early on Tuesday. The report said that two more machines are expected to arrive from Gujarat and Odisha in the next two-three days. “Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) has brought a heavy drilling machine and is now at the tunnel site for vertical drilling operations.” PTI informed of.
Arnold Dix, president of the International Tunneling and Underground Space Association, is currently overseeing the ongoing rescue efforts in the Uttarkashi tunnel disaster. While talking to news agency ANI he Said“…We have multiple approaches to the defense.”
2. Horizontal Boring by NHIDCL
Engineers were trying to run a steel pipe horizontally, wide enough for the trapped workers, through at least 57 meters (187 ft) of earth and rock that were hindering their escape. But the huge earth-boring machine they were using hit the rocks, preventing them from getting through. “Drilling on that route was stopped on Friday after a crackling noise caused panic,” officials were quoted as saying.
Now, the National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) team will start drilling from the tunnel mouth from the Silkyara side. Horizontal boring will be done with Augur boring machine.
3. Another steep tunnel from above
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), which specializes in deep drilling, has been entrusted with the task of building another vertical tunnel at the 2.3 km mark. This tunnel will be approximately 325 meters deep and machines for this operation were brought from America, Mumbai and Ghaziabad.
4. Avoidance of Barkot Chhor
A 483 meter long but narrow tunnel will be built from the Barkot end of the tunnel by Tehri Hydro Development Corporation using the conventional drill and blast method.
5. Another horizontal drilling by RVNL
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a press release that Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) is working on another vertical pipeline to supply essential commodities. The decision to lay the 900 mm pipe through the dirt was taken as it was the best and quickest possible solution as per the advice of experts, the release said.
According to Hindustan Times, RVNL is doing micro-drilling from the left side of the tunnel. This horizontal tunnel will be 1.2 meters wide and 168 meters long. According to the Indian Express report, it will meet the existing tunnel at a distance of about 300 meters from the Silkyara side.
the breakthrough
The tube used to deliver supplies to the men was successfully widened on Monday with the installation of a 15-centimetre (six-inch) pipe through which the camera was sent down. Hopefully a drone can also be sent down to assess the stability of the area where people are trapped. Hot food was also delivered through the new pipe for the first time.
More than a week after the incident, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said, “With the efforts of all agencies, experts, engineers, officials and people working there, we made a major breakthrough last night (Monday, November 21).” Saw success.” A six-inch pipe was inserted there. Through that, food is being delivered to them (stranded labourers). We pray to God that any of our options succeed as soon as possible and our workers are evacuated.”
Saving workers is top priority
The chief minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “taking information from us every day…everyone is giving their best”. In a post on Twitter, Dhami said he told PM Modi that the workers are safe, while the Prime Minister underlined that the rescue operation is a top priority.
On November 12, during the construction of a tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot, 41 workers were trapped after debris fell in a 60-meter section of the tunnel. It is believed that the workers are trapped in part of the 2km constructed tunnel, which is filled with concrete work that provides protection to the workers. This part of the tunnel has electricity and water facilities.
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Updated: Nov 21, 2023, 04:19 PM IST
