Drilling on the last stretch of the Uttarkashi tunnel collapses due to another obstacle; workers should be rescued by tomorrow

The authorities said on Thursday night that 41 workers who had been trapped in an 11-day-old tunnel under construction in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, may be freed over the next few days or by tomorrow. However, later in the evening, the drilling stopped when rescuers ran across another obstacle.

After a break of almost six hours, the rescuers started digging through the rubble earlier in the day. The drilling has to be halted until the metallic item that was obstructing it is removed away. Drilling started again once the item was removed.

The most recent drilling pause, which was announced by the media around 8:30 p.m., is expected. Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, a member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), has previously said that the current last phase of the drilling might meet three or four obstacles.

Although there is hope that the standard procedure of passing a conduit through the wreckage to free the workers will succeed, the rescuers are also developing backup measures. In case the primary strategy fails, they are also digging a tunnel from the other side. However, because the tunnel would need to be cut all the way through to reach the workers, this method may take many days.

On November 12, 41 workers were trapped when a section of the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, which was still under construction, collapsed in. The Silkyara tunnel is a component of the Char Dham Project, which has been criticized for its potential environmental effects because to the Himalayan geology’s brittleness over time. A 2-kilometer section of the tunnel that is still under construction contains the workers. Since there were no broken electrical connections at the scene, they had access to water and good lighting. They have also been given food via pipes, and oxygen is pumped into the space. Water is also available to them.

The most recent information on the rescue effort in Uttarkashi is provided here.

Drilling stops at the last phase.
Drilling was put on hold on Thursday night due to an obstacle, despite the authorities’ confidence that they would be able to free the 41 trapped workers.

Cracks have appeared on the platform supporting the 25-ton auger equipment that is being used to dig through the rubble, according to PTI.

The outlet quoted authorities as stating that they would “stabilize” the platform prior to the resumption of drilling, referring to the fractures as a “setback.”

Employees could be released by tomorrow: NDMA
According to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Member Lt Gen (Retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, the workers who have been trapped in the under-construction tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, for the last 11 days, are expected to be freed within the next few hours or by Friday. This was said earlier on Thursday evening.

Hasnain said, “I expect that in the next few hours or by tomorrow, we will be successful in this operation,” while PTI reported that the rescuers would encounter three to four additional obstacles in the current final drilling phase.

Hasnain made his remarks before to the most recent news that the drilling had been halted due to fractures forming in the platform of the drilling equipment.

Earlier, the rescuers encountered a girder rib, which forced them to halt their drilling efforts through 57 meters of rubble for a few hours. Drilling started again when the item was taken out and the machine was put back together.

Hasnain said that the workers may be saved in a matter of hours, but he added that it was unfair to make assumptions about when they will be freed.

Numerous entities, each with a specific role to do, are participating in the continuing rescue efforts in addition to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Rail Vikas Nigam (RVN), Sutluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDC), and Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) are a few of the other organizations involved. A contracting business was building the tunnel under the auspices of NHIDC.

Ambulances have been stationed at the tunnel site, and a 41-bed hospital in Uttarkashi is prepared for the rescue operation’s last phase.

We are at the workers’ door: Arnold Dix is a global specialist
Arnold Dix, an international specialist in disaster management who is helping with the rescue mission in Uttarkashi, described the present state of affairs as akin to knocking on someone’s door. The workmen are only on the other side, he continued, and the rescuers are at the doorway.

Dix continued to tell PTI that the operation is ongoing in full swing and involves specialists and agencies from all Indian institutions. By Christmas, he said, the workers will be in good physical and mental health.

“We are hurrying in this scenario. Rushing may lead to unimaginable problems. As a result, we are being extremely thoughtful. That assumes that all law enforcement agencies collaborate. That is something new for us. It is a matter of everyone collaborating. India is setting a good example for other nations on how to behave professionally, with consideration for others, and without causing strife among themselves,” Dix told PTI.

There are other solutions available.
Although the authorities believe that the tried-and-true ‘trechnless’ method—which involves inserting pipes into the rubble so that workers may crawl out—will work, they are also developing backup plans in case it fails. The options include exploring the possibility of vertical drilling and excavating a tunnel from the other end. In order to prepare for digging, blasting has begun at the opposite end of the tunnel; nevertheless, vertical digging has also been planned for.

Arnold Dix, an international specialist, said that starting vertical excavation must be done carefully as it may impact the auger machines’ continued drilling for the purpose of inserting pipes through the rubble.

Five agencies—Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Sutluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN), Rail Vikas Nigam (RVN), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDC), and Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC)—are working with the authorities on a five-option action plan. Every one of the five is responsible for certain tasks.

“THDC started building a rescue tunnel from the Barkot end, and so far, four explosions have been accomplished, causing a 9.10-meter drift. Three explosions a day are the goal being pursued. The location is now equipped with the microtunnelling equipment needed to dig horizontally to rescue laborers. Most likely, the platform will be finished by November 24, 2023. By November 25, 2023, the equipment will be put up, according to PTI, which also said that the Indian Army is mobilizing box culverts for this reason and that frame production has begun.

According to PTI, the Border Roads Organization (BRO) has finished building an approach road for SJVNL and RVNL’s vertical drilling. Although it hasn’t been decided to go further with vertical digging, it is still a possibility. Additionally, the ONGC is having an access road built by the BRO for its geological studies.