KATHMANDU: Work is underway to clear mud and debris after the entrance to the cable duct tunnel of the Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project in Nuwakot was opened following the Bhotekoshi River flood in Rasuwa.
According to the Nepali Army, a 93-member search and rescue team led by the Army, along with Chinese experts and other technicians, has been working at the project site with five excavators, compressors and breakers after the project’s tunnels and main structures were buried by the flood. There are concerns that people may be trapped inside.
A debris pile measuring around 40 metres long and 20 metres high had blocked the tunnel entrance, containing large rocks and metal structures swept in by the flood. After continuous efforts around the clock, the team has managed to clear the materials and open an entrance measuring approximately 10 feet in length and four feet in height, according to the Nepali Army.
Lawmaker Shriram Neupane, who is at the project site, said Army personnel have entered the tunnel to remove mud and drain water.
As the entire entrance needs to be opened to allow excavators and other machinery to enter, the remaining debris is also being removed. Preparations are underway to blast seven more large boulders obstructing the site.
The tunnel is approximately 170 metres long. According to the Nepali Army, the team must clear the mud and sludge-filled tunnel before reaching the powerhouse and other structures of the project.
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