Dewatering work at Silkyara tunnel deferred
- Country:
- India
Dewatering work inside the Silkyara tunnel which was to start this week has been put on hold because of safety concerns, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) officials said on Thursday.
A partial collapse of the tunnel on November 12 last year had left 41 workers trapped for 17 days.
''A mock exercise was conducted inside the tunnel by State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel and NHIDCL engineers to assess whether dewatering work could be undertaken, but they felt it could be risky,'' NHIDCL General Manager Colonel Deepak Patil said.
It was felt that starting dewatering work without treating the collapsed segment of the tunnel could lead to landslides and endanger lives, he said.
Cracks have been spotted on the tunnel roof near the collapsed part of the tunnel, the official said.
Hence, it has been decided to first treat the fractured part before going for dewatering inside the tunnel.
Dewatering is to be done at the other end of the debris, he said.
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