Uttarakhand Tunnel Ops: 30 Metres Of Vertical Drilling Done, 5 Plans In Pipeline — 10 Updates

Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue Ops: Rescuers have managed to bore 30 metres through vertical drilling and they have yet to drill around 86 metres.

Vertical drilling being done to rescue 41 workers trapped inside the under-construction Silkyara Bend-Barkot Tunnel, in Uttarakhand.

Source : PTI

Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue Operations: The efforts to evacuate 41 trapped workers from inside a collapsed tunnel in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand may take more time as the auger machine, critical for drilling, broke down on Saturday forcing the rescuers to implement vertical and manual drilling. The operation is underway at the Silkyara tunnel site, which collapsed on Nov 12 trapping 41 workers beneath it. In the last 15 days, experts drilled through the rubble of the tunnel to reach the workers after encountering several pauses in between. So far, 30 metres of drilling through the vertical method has ben done.

Here are the top updates on the rescue operation.

 

Top Developments On Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue Operations

1. Rescue work is underway at the Silkyara tunnel site where a 1-2 meter damaged part of the 1.2-meter diameter pipeline laid through horizontal drilling is now being removed by rat miners through manual drilling.

2. By Sunday evening, the rescue workers bored to about 19.5 metres. They have to drill down 86 metres to reach the tunnel. National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) managing director Mahmood Ahmed said vertical boring would be over by Thursday if there are no hindrances. "...We have to drill around 86 meters which is likely to be done within four days (November 30). The pace of work is good. We haven't come across any obstacles so far, and hope that we face no further obstacles and the work gets completed as early as possible," he said.

3. Meanwhile, as the drilling continues, 700-mm wide pipes are being inserted to create an escape passage for the labourers to come out of the tunnel. According to PTI, a little distance away, a thinner, 200-mm probe is being pushed in. It has reached the 70-metre mark.

4. Six approaches are being thought of as of now, with several being implemented at a time, to ensure the safe rescue of the workers. Vertical drilling is already underway. The team will start drilling a 180-metre alternative escape tunnel into the side of the hill from Tuesday which could take 12-14 days, PTI reported.

5. On the other hand, officials said vertical drilling is also being carried out at the Barkot-end of the tunnel, which could take up to 40 days. According to HT,  a total of 24-inch drilling on this side will have to be done for which a 5-km road is being made by the BRO. Blasting is also being done at the Barkot side of the tunnel. So far, the work has progressed to about 10-12 metres.

6. The extraction of pieces of the auger is done and efforts are on to take out 1.5 metres of broken pipe. By Sunday evening, only 8.15 metres of the 47 metres of the auger shaft remained to be cut and removed, officials said, quoted PTI.

7. The Indian Army on Sunday also joined in the ongoing operations and has been tasked with manual drilling. Once the auger is pulled out, manual drilling will begin. In this, one worker would enter the steel chute laid so far and operate the drill, and another man would send the debris out through a pulley in a time-consuming manner.

8. The sixth plan, as explained by Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd), involves drift technology in which the sides of the tunnel will be scrapped. This will be taken care of by the Army engineers.

9. Speaking on the rescue operations, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, "Everyone has put in a lot of effort in this (rescue operation). They have cut off half of the machine...the front part of the pipe has bent." Then the drilling work will start. I met the families of the workers who were stranded from Tanakpur... PM Narendra Modi is also keeping an eye on this matter..."

10. On the issue of the absence of an escape tunnel, NHIDCL MD Ahmed said, "A committee has been set up to go into all that. But as of now our first priority is the safe evacuation of the trapped workers as early as possible."