In the week since the flash flood in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, two tunnels from an NTPC hydroelectric power project in the Tapovan area have been at the center of rescue operations. The initial goal was to clear a 180-meter area of mud to rescue 34 workers who were feared trapped there. On Sunday, five bodies were recovered from one of the tunnels.
Reviewing the detailed daily progress of the operation, the changing strategies:
February 8th
The rescue operation inside the intake tunnel, which began after the February 7 flash flood, was halted for a few hours after a surge in the Dhauli Ganga River. It resumed at 5 a.m. on Monday. The sleet was cleaned up to just 90 meters after a day’s exercise.
February 9
After removing the sludge with rudimentary equipment such as excavators, an aerial reconnaissance was performed with a helicopter laser with an electromagnetic pulse imager to analyze the density within the intake tunnel. A drone with cameras was also sent into the tunnel up to 120 meters, but it failed to show human presence in that section. On this day, NDRF and ITBP personnel could only reach up to 90 meters; As they removed the mud, more mud kept coming out. The army men tried to launch a search near the shelling in Dhauli Ganga, a site where more than 100 people are feared missing, but called off after finding the surface unsuitable for movement. The rescue seemed more organized when a joint operational center was installed and the tunnel design was publicly displayed.
Feb. 10
Rescue teams changed strategy after discovering that workers may be trapped in another sediment filtration tunnel (SFT), located 12 meters below the intake tunnel. It was decided to start drilling 72 meters from the opening of the first tunnel. This was done so that the camera lights could be lowered to the SFT. Two more excavators were deployed to speed up the removal of mud. A help desk was set up for the families of those feared to be trapped.
February 11th
The operation was suspended due to an increase in the flow of water from the river, but was resumed after an hour. About 80 meters of sludge was cleaned in the intake tunnel. Drilling at SFT began at 3 am, but was stopped due to mud at a depth of 6 meters.
February 12
A new drill attempt was made in the SFT at a distance of 75 meters. The crews managed to drill more than 10 meters in the afternoon.
February 13th
Drilling within the SFT was completed to a depth of 12 meters. With little room to lower a chamber, another heavy machine was commissioned to increase the diameter of the drilled area to 30 cm and develop a test hole. But the lowering of the chamber failed again due to the pressure of the sleet. The well was capped and sludge removal from the intake tunnel resumed late at night.
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She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.