New Delhi:
8 lives have been captured in Telangana in a tunnel with a length of about 10 meters and exactly the same diameter. Relief and rescue work continues on a war footing. Every effort is being made from the Center to the state government. Rat Miners, who saved the construction workers stranded in 2023 in Uttarakhand, have also been put on the spot. But the challenge is serious. This is going to be a more challenging operation than the operation for laborers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel of Uttarakhand. Let’s know how this accident is more serious than the incident of Uttarakhand and which challenges are going to be in the operation to save the lives of laborers.
How is the Telangana incident different from Uttarakhand?
This accident in Telangana is similar to the Silkyara tunnel accident in Uttarakhand. On 12 November 2023, a 60-meter part of the Silkyara-Berkot tunnel being constructed under the Chardham Project in Uttarkashi was collapsed, in which 41 laborers were trapped. In that incident too, removing debris and reaching the laborers was a big challenge. But after 17 days of hard work, all the workers were evacuated safely. Techniques like Agar machine, vertical drilling and rat mining were used in that rescue operation.
The incident of Telangana is presenting some different challenges. While the debris in Uttarakhand was drought and rocky, the presence of mud and water in Telangana has complicated the situation. The use of water accumulation between 11-13 kilometers of the tunnel has come to light, due to which the use of machines has been limited. The thickness of the debris in Uttarakhand was about 60 meters, while in Telangana it is just about 200 meters. The most important thing is that the place where the workers were trapped in Uttarakhand had about 200 meters. At the same time, workers have only 10 meters in Telangana. Fighting the battle to save life in such a low place must have been proving to be very difficult for him.
In the video, you can see that the area in which this incident has happened is a water area. Due to which the problem has increased more.
Two Videos of aerial view of Krishna river and Slbc tunnel iLET Side TAKEN DURING My Visit to Slbc Tunnel Accident Site Today.
I Pray That Thatay Stranded Inseide The Tunnel are evacuated safely Tomorrow 🙏 pic.twitter.com/8ntjhibwyp
– uttam kumar reddy (@uttaminc) February 22, 2025
What challenges are facing in the rescue operation?
After the accident, the Telangana government immediately started rescue operations. Four expert teams reached the spot, including Army, NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), and local administration. Also, the help of experts who took part in the Silkyara accident in Uttarakhand. But many technical and natural obstacles are standing in the way.
- Mud and water gathering: The biggest challenge is that the use of machines is becoming difficult due to water and mud inside the tunnel. The Ogar machine, which was effective in Uttarakhand, is not getting effective due to water here.
- Inaccessible way: The place of the accident is quite inside the entrance of the tunnel. Due to which taking heavy machines and reaching there is a big problem.
- Laborers are not having contact: No message or reply from laborers is increasing the concern of the rescue team. This makes it difficult to guess where and in what condition they are.
- Lack of time: Every passing moment is making the lack of oxygen and food dangerous for the laborers. If you do not get success quickly, then the situation may worsen.
What does the government say?
We are doing everything possible. Experts are working day and night. With the help of Army and NDRF, we expect to reach the workers as soon as possible. But due to mud and water, manual drilling has to be rely more, which is a time taking process.
– Uttam Kumar Reddy, Water Resources Minister of Telangana
Life of laborers in danger, how will you survive?
It is difficult to guess the condition of laborers trapped in this small part of 10 meters. Lack of oxygen, lack of food and water, and cold conditions within the tunnel are putting their lives in danger. In Uttarakhand, food and oxygen were delivered to the workers through pipes, but no such way has been made in Telangana yet. If the laborers are alive, then it is precious for them every minute. The families of these laborers are in a weeping condition. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has offered help by contacting the Telangana government.
Why are accidents happening again and again in India?
The development of infrastructure in India has increased in the last nearly a decade. Due to this many tunnels are being made. But tunnel construction is a complex process, which requires a detailed geo-technical survey and accurate design. But in many cases it has been seen that these aspects are ignored in the detailed project report (DPR) of the project.
In the Silkyara tunnel accident, it was revealed that the mountain was described as a solid rock in the DPR, but during the excavation it came out. Experts say that if the correct land technical survey had been done in the beginning, then such situation could have been avoided.
Hurry and negligence in construction: The pressure to complete the infrastructure projects on time in India is often heavy on quality. Contractors and construction companies ignore the safety standards required to complete the time limit.
Ignoring security standard: Independent monitoring system is necessary to ensure adherence to safety standards in tunnel projects. But many times in India, it has been seen that government agencies and private firms together ignore these standards. Many times it is also considered responsible for such accidents.
Geographical Causes: India’s geographical structure has been presenting a major challenge for tunnel construction. Especially the Himalayan region, where most of the tunnel projects are running, is known for its sensitive and unstable land structure. It is important to understand these geographical causes, because they are a big factor behind accidents.
What does the rescue team say?
District Magistrate of Nagarakurnool, who is monitoring the rescue operation, B.C. Santosh said that four teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) – one from Hyderabad and three from Vijayawada – including 138 members, 24 army personnel, SDRF personnel, 23 members of SCCL are engaged in rescue operations with equipment with equipment. . The District Magistrate said that after reaching 13.5 km away, the team called the trapped people, but did not get any response from them. He told that after this point there is still a part of 200 meters and the situation will be known only after reaching them. A defense release said that the Engineer Task Force (ETF) of the Indian Army from Secunderabad has been deployed in the rescue operation.
Also read-:
Life imprisoned again in the tunnel, why do the same accident happen again and again?
(tagstotranslate) tilangana tunnel
