February 26th 2025.
Hyderabad: The situation at the partially-collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district is getting more intense as the rescue operation to save eight trapped individuals continues. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, the Irrigation Minister, is hopeful that a breakthrough in reaching the trapped men will occur "very soon". In a recent review of the situation with officials from various agencies involved in the rescue, the minister announced that the mission is now in its final stages.
"We have intensified our rescue efforts, deployed elite forces, and introduced new high-tech interventions to reach the trapped workers as soon as possible," said Uttam Kumar Reddy, who was joined by Roads and Buildings Ministers Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and MP Mallu Ravi in the review. After a high-level meeting at the incident site, it was determined that the rescue would be completed within two days and that new strategies were being implemented to overcome challenges inside the tunnel.
As part of the intensified rescue operations, the government has reinforced the support structures to stabilize the pathway leading to the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), ensuring the safety of the rescue workers as they navigate through the tunnel. "We have instructed officials to speed up debris removal and reinforce weakened sections of the tunnel to prevent any secondary collapses. For the past five days, the state government has been working tirelessly, mobilizing all available resources to rescue the trapped workers," said Uttam Kumar Reddy.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is personally monitoring the situation and has directed that all critical agencies remain stationed at the site until the workers are rescued. Uttam Kumar Reddy also told the media at the site office that the rescue efforts would be further accelerated. Rescue teams will now be moving forward with a concrete plan of action to reach the accident site through the silt.
In the review meeting, it was decided to go for full-fledged dewatering and desilting to completely remove the silt with the help of the Army, Navy, National Disaster Response Force, and other rescue teams. The assistance of rat miners will also be taken. The minister also mentioned that experts in tunnel construction and rescue operations from border areas and other parts of the country have been brought in for the rescue operation. "We have invited the best experts in the country, including serving and retired Army officers, who have assessed the situation after going into the tunnel," said the minister.
To further advance the rescue operation, the teams are also seeking suggestions from tunnel experts from other countries. Gas cutters will be used to remove parts of the damaged TBM, which was caused by a portion of the roof collapsing on February 22. Despite the efforts of a rescue team from different agencies who were finally able to cross the last 40-meter stretch, there is still no update on the fate of the eight trapped individuals.
Tunnel experts from the Border Security Force have been brought in to reach the head portion of the TBM. However, the rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force, Army, Navy, and other agencies have not been able to advance further due to the 7-9 meter high mud and continuous seepage of water, making the operation extremely risky for the rescue workers.
At the request of Telangana, the National Disaster Management Authority has called upon the National Remote Sensing Centre and the Geological Survey of India to conduct a surface and sub-surface assessment of the incident site. This assessment is crucial for ensuring the safety of the rescue teams. The accident occurred 14 km inside the tunnel, and while the rescue teams have reached 13.5 km, they have been unable to make any further progress due to mud, debris, and water seepage. The divers from the Navy's special forces unit Marcos were also unable to navigate through the slush.
Unfortunately, with more than 100 hours having passed since the accident, the chances of the trapped men surviving are slim. In the midst of this tragedy, Jaypee Group founder Jaiprakash Gaur visited the tunnel on Wednesday and assured that they are doing everything in their power to rescue the trapped men. Jaypee is the contracting firm for the SLBC project, and Gaur stated that after the completion of the rescue operation, the company will resume work on the project. He also mentioned that such incidents have occurred in the past during tunnel works.
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