Hyderabad, March 4 The rescue operation in the partially-collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district is expected to gather pace with the conveyor belt becoming operational on Tuesday.
With the technical team successfully repairing the conveyor belt, the rescue teams will be able to expedite the movement of excavated silt and debris from the accident site where eight persons remained trapped for the last 11 days.
The conveyor belt was broken when a portion of the tunnel’s roof collapsed on February 22, trapping eight persons, including two engineers and two machine operators.
The accident occurred 14 kilometres inside the tunnel when the workers were engaged in digging works with the help of a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM).
The functioning of the conveyor belt plays a crucial role in expediting the movement of excavated debris, construction supplies, or other necessary materials within the tunnel, thereby it will be easier to trace missing workers, officials said.
The conveyor belt system is utilised to facilitate the smooth and efficient transportation of materials, ensuring uninterrupted progress in the tunnel's construction or maintenance work.
The fate of eight persons, hailing from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir, is still unknown as multiple teams, comprising 2 agencies of the Centre and the state government, continued the rescue operation on the 11th day.
The teams continued desilting and machine-cutting at the locations identified by the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) after scanning the accident site through Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) two days ago.
Disaster Management Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar, Nagarkurnool District Collector Badavath Santosh, and other officials were supervising the rescue operations.
Officials have confirmed that the dewatering process is progressing swiftly.
The Army, the Navy, the NDRF, the SDRF, the HYDRAA, the Singareni Mines Rescue, the Fire Services, the South Central Railway, and other agencies were continuing the rescue operations.
Officials said advanced technology was being utilised under expert supervision to remove mud, sludge, and concrete debris from the tunnel.
To prevent further water inflow into the SLBC tunnel from above and from both sides, as well as to drain out the already accumulated water, special machinery has been deployed to operate continuously, ensuring the rescue operations proceed without hindrance.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy during his visit to the tunnel on Sunday had suggested the use of robots in the tunnel. The authorities are still exploring the possibility.
The Chief Minister had said that experts have not come to a conclusion whether eight missing persons are alive or dead.
He said it may take another 2-3 days for the rescue workers to come to a conclusion on the issue.
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