Rescue teams working in 5 shifts, making holes at identified spots to detect odour in SLBC tunnel

Boulders and other metal scrap being brought out of the SLBC tunnel near Domalapenta in Nagarkurnool district on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement

HYDERABAD

With the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel rescue operation to trace the remaining seven persons trapped under the debris entering the 27th day on Thursday, the State government has initiated preventive measures against the possibility of rescue teams’ personnel falling ill, by administering them once-a-week dose of medicine.

“To prevent the possibility of leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease caused by a bacteria (leptospira) transmitted through contact with contaminated animal urine or fluids potentially leading to a range of symptoms such as mild flu, fever, headache, chills, muscle aches and fatigue leading to jaundice and weil’s disease, the rescue personnel are being administered a weekly dose of 200 mg of doxycycline capsule as a prophylactic measure,” a senior official monitoring the rescue operation said.

According to the officials, the ongoing excavation work between D1 and D2 points, identified by the cadaver sniffer dogs, with the help excavators was now focusing on making multiple holes using crowbars around the area to detect any odour to help concentrate further digging as the work had reached a considerable depth. Simultaneous de-watering operations were continuing at D1 and D2 points to prevent water accumulation and safe excavation work.

The muck and debris removal operations were also continuing with the help of excavators and the material was being loaded onto the conveyor belt and the metal parts and boulders into the loco-trolleys. Use of water jets was also on to expose the buried metal components. Similarly, boulders unearthed in digging were also being shifted out of the tunnel with the help of excavators loading them into the loco-trolleys.

Boulders being brought out of the SLBC tunnel near Domalapenta in Nagarkurnool district on Thursday.
| Photo Credit:
By Arrangement

On the other hand, metal cutting of tunnel boring machine (TBM) parts and scrap shifting was also in progress ahead of the PS5 area, the location identified by the ground probing radar (GPR) scanning. The officials stated that the rescue teams were also planning to take up wire-meshing at the end of D1 point to prevent mud from falling back during the digging work.

The rescue teams were going into the tunnel in five shifts starting at 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. The authorities have established a communication system for constant coordination and supervision with the teams inside and those supervising them outside the tunnel.

Special Chief Secretary (Disaster Management) Arvind Kumar and General Officer Commanding of the Telangana, Andhra Sub Area (TASA) Col. Ajay Mishra reviewed the progress of the rescue operation at the tunnel with the team leaders of rescue agencies participating in the operation, along with District Collector of Nagarkurnool Santosh Badavath, Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Gaikwad and others.