Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse: Obstacles and Optimism in 2.5-Day Rescue Operation for Trapped Workers
The situation in Uttarakhand, particularly at the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse, is challenging and worrisome. Rescue efforts for the 41 trapped workers encountered obstacles, prompting a shift in focus on Sunday, November 19. The emphasis is now on preparing for the next stage of the operation, implementing diverse strategies to reach the workers stuck for several days.
Here are the key updates on the ongoing developments:
1) A remarkable achievement was the construction of a road to the hilltop within a single day. This road will facilitate the digging of a vertical shaft into the tunnel, according to reports from the news agency PTI.
2) The Tehri Hydroelectric Development Corporation planned to initiate “micro tunnelling” from the Barkot end of the tunnel on the Char Dham route that collapsed on November 12.
3) Progress in boring through the debris from the Silkyara end was temporarily halted when the heavy-duty auger machine faced a tough obstacle after covering about 22 meters, as reported by PTI.
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4) The Rail Vikas Nigam Limited has commenced the construction of a vertical pipeline to supply essential items after completing the approach road to the hilltop.
5) The current multi-pronged approach is a response to setbacks following the collapse of a portion of the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel, trapping workers who were concluding their night shifts.
6) Anurag Jain, the Road, Transport, and Highways Secretary, shared that the government has devised a five-option action plan to rescue the trapped workers at Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi.
7) Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari personally visited the collapsed tunnel site and expressed confidence in horizontally boring through the debris using a large auger machine. He anticipated a breakthrough within two and a half days.
8) Gadkari emphasized the top priority of saving and evacuating the trapped workers. Preparations were underway to restart the auger machine and resume drilling and pipe-laying in the tunnel.
Read more:-Bihar Bridge: Double Collapse Exposes Infrastructure Woes
9) While acknowledging a lack of technical expertise, Gadkari highlighted that horizontal digging seemed to be the most viable option. He optimistically estimated reaching the trapped workers in two and a half days if the auger machine encountered no further obstacles.
10) To ensure contingency planning, a similar machine was dispatched from Indore, and additional vertical drilling equipment, too large for air transport, is en route to the site via road, as per authorities’ statements.
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