Title: “Unwavering Commitment: Government Agencies’ Collaborative Efforts in Silkyara Tunnel Rescue Operations”
In a relentless pursuit to safeguard lives, the government remains deeply entrenched in active rescue operations within the confines of Uttarkashi’s Silkyara Tunnel. A total of 41 workers find themselves trapped, and amidst this adversity, rescue endeavors remain fervently underway within a 2-kilometer section of the tunnel. The completed concrete structure ensures a degree of safety for the beleaguered workers, anchoring the focus of all rescue efforts.
The government has mobilized various agencies, each entrusted with specific tasks aimed at ensuring the workers’ safe evacuation. The presence of national and international experts on-site supplements the rescue operation with their invaluable counsel. Maintaining unwavering communication serves as a morale booster for those ensnared within the tunnel’s confines.
Noteworthy Updates on Rescue Operations:
- NHIDCL’s Lifeline Efforts:
Efforts involve the insertion of freshly cooked food and fresh fruits into the tunnel at regular intervals using a 150 mm dia. service.
Video communication via SDRF and direct line communication via NDRF have been established with the workforce inside.
- Horizontal Boring by NHIDCL:
Auger drilling encountered obstacles, including a metallic lattice girder rib, leading to a halt in operations.
Strategies involving gas cutters were employed to tackle obstructions, with subsequent efforts to push through the pipe encountering minor vibrations, necessitating reassessment.
Auger-related issues, including a bend part of the pipe and entanglement with lattice girder bars, prompted further complications.
Steps to clear the obstruction, followed by the application of manual drift procedures, are being implemented to access the other side.
- Vertical Drilling by SJVNL:
Drilling machinery has arrived and commenced operations, with 30.80m achieved as of the latest report.
- Horizontal Drilling from Barkot Side by THDCL:
Rescue tunnel construction from the Barkot end is underway, with ongoing fabrication work and blasts to advance progress.
- Perpendicular-Horizontal Drilling by RVNL:
Equipment necessary for horizontal drilling has arrived at the site, with platform setup in progress.
- Vertical Drilling by RVNL at Silkyara End:
BRO completed the access road, and drilling has commenced, achieving 72 meters as of the latest update.
- Vertical Drilling Toward Barkot End by ONGC:
Preparations, including the arrival of drilling equipment and associated materials, are in progress for subsequent drilling activities.
- Drift Tunnel by Joint Team of THDCL/Army/Coal India and NHIDCL:
Design and fabrication efforts are ongoing, with frames being completed for the manual-semi mechanized drift tunnel method.
- Road Cutting and Supportive Work by BRO:
BRO’s contributions involve constructing approach roads for various drilling operations, with substantial progress made in creating access roads.
Background:
The collapse in the under-construction tunnel triggered a series of rescue missions following debris accumulation on the Silkyara side on November 12, 2023. The initial plan to navigate a 900 mm pipe through the debris was reconsidered due to safety concerns. The trapped area, measuring 8.5 meters in height and spanning 2 kilometers, provides a sheltered section within the tunnel, equipped with essential utilities.
Five agencies—ONGC, SJVNL, RVNL, NHIDCL, and THDCL—operate collaboratively, each delegated specific responsibilities but adapting tasks for operational synergy, pooling expertise and resources for this critical endeavor.