Summary:
In the week since the flash flood in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, two tunnels of an NTPC hydro-power project in Tapovan area have been at the centre of rescue operations.
The initial target was to clean a 180-metre area of slush to rescue 34 workers feared trapped there.
On Sunday, five bodies were recovered from one of the tunnels.
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In the week since the flash flood in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, two tunnels of an NTPC hydro-power project in Tapovan area have been at the centre of rescue operations.
The initial target was to clean a 180-metre area of slush to rescue 34 workers feared trapped there.
On Sunday, five bodies were recovered from one of the tunnels.
Revisiting the painstaking, day-to-day progress in the operation, the changing strategies:
February 8
The rescue operation inside the intake tunnel, started after the February 7 flash flood, was halted for a few hours following a rise in the Dhauli Ganga river.
It resumed at 5 am on Monday.
The slush was cleared up to only 90 metres after a day-long exercise.
February 9
After removal of slush with rudimentary equipment like excavators, an aerial survey was done by a helicopter-bound Laser with Electromagnetic Pulse Imager for analysis of the density inside the intake tunnel.
A drone with cameras was also sent inside the tunnel up to 120 metres, but failed to show human presence in that stretch.