The rescue operations to bring out the 41 workers trapped inside the tunnel in Uttarkashi entered the eighth day on 19 November (Sunday), but the operation has not achieved much success. While it was expected that heavy auger drilling machines would quickly drill through the around 60 meters of debris, it has faced challenges. As the machine drills, more debris keeps falling, blocking the path. The vibration of the heavy machinery is contributing to this, and the diesel machine needs to be stopped regularly as emits toxic exhaust gases. As a result, a multi-front strategy is being deployed to reach the trapper workers.
It is notable that small diameter pipes are already inserted through the debris, which is being used to send air, water, food and medicine to the 41 persons trapped inside the collapsed tunnel. They also have been provided with communication devices. Apart from food and water, the workers have been provided Vitamin C and other medicines including anti-depression tablets. The health department has set up a camp for health checkups near the site and kept 10 ambulances on standby.
The figure of employees trapped within was altered to 41 after a disparity in their number was discovered on Friday by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) which is building the tunnel through Navayuga Engineering Company Ltd. Reportedly they are facing several health issues like constipation, headaches and growing anxiety and trauma induced by fear and claustrophobia.
Currently, drilling through the debris has stopped, after around 24 meters were drilled and five 6-meter-long steel pipes were inserted by Friday. After that, the drilling has not progressed much, due to falling debris and problems with the heavy drilling machine. The drilling was stopped because of concerns about additional damage to the tunnel after a large crack developed. During the positioning of the fifth pipe, a loud cracking sound was heard in the tunnel which prompted the immediate suspension of rescue operations. An expert involved in the project had also warned about the possibility of further collapse in the vicinity and as a result, the pipe-pushing activity was stopped.
The auger machine had drilled up to 24 meters through the rubble when the process was paused. The mission has been put on hold since 17 November (Friday), however, officials present at the location seek to resume it by Sunday afternoon.
As the current strategy of drilling a 900 mm hole through the debris from the Silkyara end has almost failed, the Prime Minister’s Office has decided to initiate operations from 3 more different fronts, and each of them will be handled by a different agency. “The experts were one in their view that rather than working on just one plan we should work at the same time on five plans to reach the trapped workers as early as possible,” said Bhaskar Khulbe, former advisor to the Prime Minister.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami reached the tunnel site today to oversee the rescue operations.
Expanded rescue operations
The alternative plans, including the current one, for freeing the stranded workers were discussed at a high-level conference conducted by the Union administration on Saturday. Mahmood Ahmed, MD of NHIDCL, has been assigned the responsibility of liaising with the central authorities. Officials are battling against time to find a way to save the workers.
According to RS Rao of the Directorate General Border Roads, creating a four-six-inch-long hole would be one way to help those who are confined by giving them necessities. He said, “If the conditions are favourable, a three-feet diameter hole will also be made so people will be able to come out. This road is about 900 metres long. Hopefully, the road will be ready by tomorrow morning.” It is notable that BRO is building a new road to the tunnel site to reach it quickly and easily.
Following a nearly three-day shutdown of rescue operations, Bhaskar Khulbe stated that everyone should focus on the future and that it is not the right moment to talk about the past. He conveyed that in addition to the NHIDCL, the organisations handling various tasks to provide early access to the stranded personnel are going to include ONGC, RVNL, Satluj Jal Vikas Nigam Ltd, the BRO, and the state PWD.
At his home earlier, CM Dhami held a meeting with the officials and remarked, “Under the guidance of the PMO, the state government is busy making all efforts to evacuate labourers trapped inside the tunnel. We hope we will soon succeed in the mission.”
In the meanwhile, the process of inserting a 6-inch diameter pipe inside the collapsed under-construction tunnel started today. This will be used to send food, medicine and other items needed for the workers trapped in the tunnel. This will be the second such pipe installed.
#WATCH | Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) tunnel incident | Rescue team begins the operation to insert the pipe inside tunnel. The operation to insert the 6-inch diameter pipe has started. pic.twitter.com/3MJRgJj4Nv
— ANI (@ANI) November 18, 2023
Bhaskar Khulbe, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Uttarakhand government and former prime minister’s advisor predicted that the coordinated efforts will yield positive outcomes in four to five days. “But if the gods are kind enough, it could happen even earlier than that,” he said.
According to him, a group of experts at the location and representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) decided to collaborate on five different ideas at the same time in order to rescue the stranded workers. These five ideas involve drilling the Silkyara and Barkot sides end to end followed by perpendicular and vertical drilling from the top.
The different plans
It is notable that the drilling through the debris was plan B, which was undertaken after plan A, the removal of debris using excavators and other equipment, failed. Now, the work on Plan C has already started, which is to drill a vertical tunnel from the top. A team of the Indian Army prepared a path to bring a machine to the top, and Hydroelectric power generation company SJVN has started drilling a 1-meter diameter vertical shaft around 120 meters above the collapsed tunnel.
In the meantime, Navyuga Engineering will continue the job of drilling through the debris from the Silkyara end to insert steel pipes. It is estimated that around 60 meters will have to be drilled to reach the workers. Additional reinforcement measures are being taken to prevent more collapse of debris.
Plan D involves drilling from the Barkot end of the tunnel, which is the other end. Tehri Hydro Development Corporation has been given the task of excavating around 400 meters from the opposite end of the tunnel.
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation will start work on another front. The PSU will drill a large-diameter horizontal or inclined hole from the side. This will essentially create a branch tunnel to the collapsed tunnel.
National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) MD Mahmood Ahmed has been made in-charge of coordinating with all the central agencies and has been stationed at Silkyara.
While a heavy American Auger drill machine was earlier airlifted by an IAF transport plane, another and heavier machine is reaching the site from Indore.
Assuring that all efforts will be taken to rescue the 41 persons, Officials from the Prime Minister’s Office assured that they did not lack any “resources, options and ideas” for the mission, and they are taking the help of foreign experts also.
Silkyara Tunnel Collapse
At approximately 5:30 AM on 12 November, a terrible incident transpired in the Himalayan region. A large amount of debris collapsed as a part of a tunnel that was being built on the Yamunotri National Highway in Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand succumbed to the powerful forces of nature. A minimum of forty-one workers were trapped within the tunnel as the ceiling of the still-under-construction structure caved in and put their lives in danger.
#WATCH | Uttarakhand: A part of the tunnel under construction from Silkyara to Dandalgaon in Uttarkashi, collapsed. DM and SP of Uttarkashi district are present at the spot. SDRF, and Police Revenue teams are also present at the spot for relief work. Rescue operations underway. pic.twitter.com/hxrGqxWrsO
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) November 12, 2023
The purpose of the tunnel which was designed as a crucial part of the massive Char Dham all-weather road project was to provide continuous access to four revered Hindu pilgrimage sites that are tucked away in the Himalayas. Once completed, a 26 km reduction in distance is anticipated. Unfortunately, this admirable endeavour was eclipsed by tragedy when the 4.5-kilometre tunnel fell around 200 meters from its entrance due to the unrelenting pressures of difficult geological conditions.
