Floor penetrating radar has additionally been used to verify for obstacles.
Uttrakashi:
Solely 10-12 metres of drilling is left for rescuers to achieve the 41 building staff trapped within the Uttarakhand tunnel for the thirteenth day now, however giving a timeframe for the rescue is tough as a result of surprising hurdles have been delaying the work, senior officers mentioned on Friday afternoon.
There could also be gentle on the finish of the tunnel in spite of everything, nonetheless, as floor penetrating radar has revealed that there are more likely to be no main steel obstacles for the following 5 metres that can be drilled within the subsequent few hours. The officers additionally mentioned that, if all goes nicely, pushing in two extra pipes could also be sufficient to achieve the labourers.
Addressing a press convention, Extra Secretary Technical, Street and Transport, Mahmood Ahmed and Uttarakhand Secretary Neeraj Khairwal, who’s the nodal officer for the rescue operation, mentioned the auger machine hit a steel pipe on Thursday night which wrapped itself across the drilling blades. They mentioned many hours needed to be spent repairing the machine’s blades, strengthening the platform on which the machine is working and eradicating the steel girders and pipes which had been obstructing the operation.
Mr Ahmed mentioned that, earlier than drilling resumes, some welding will should be carried out, which can take about two hours. He defined that the welding course of is a sophisticated one and must be carried out rigorously in order that the realm being welded stays robust.
Explaining one purpose for the delay, Mr Khairwal mentioned, ”Since 4 pm yesterday to now, time was spent strengthening the platform, which had moved. The mouth of one of many 800 mm pipes that had been pushed in by us had narrowed and we really needed to reduce about 1.2 metres of it. Three metres of pipe had been pushed in yesterday along with the 45 metres earlier than, however 1.2 metres of this needed to be reduce as a result of the auger wouldn’t have been in a position to proceed additional.”
The gap coated by the pipes is at present 46.8 metres as a result of 1.2 metres needed to be eliminated.
Mr Khairwal mentioned chopping the pipe in addition to vertical pipes from the tunnel’s ceiling that had been obstructing the drill took seven to eight hours and whereas folks thought that the auger machine had damaged down, that was not the case. Within the meantime, a crew of floor penetrating radar specialists was known as in and one in all their males took 45 minutes to journey contained in the pipes for 45 metres and take their measuring machine inside.
”The narrowing of the top of the pipe meant they may not say this with 100% accuracy however what they’re anticipating is that there isn’t any steady steel object, like girders, pipes and steel plates, within the subsequent 5.4 metres. They’ve identified another hurdles, however that is excellent news,” he emphasised.
The larger 700 mm auger goes for use now that the pipe has been reduce, Mr Khairwal mentioned, including that the hope is that the work can be accomplished on the earliest. ”The primary hour of drilling after the welding is completed can be vital,” he mentioned.
Mr Ahmed mentioned, if all goes nicely, pushing in and welding two pipes with a size of 6 metres every must be sufficient to ”break by means of” to the employees however that is an assumption primarily based on their assessments. He cautioned, nonetheless, that obstacles and hurdles can nonetheless seem at any level.
To a query on whether or not groups may attain the employees by Saturday morning, the official mentioned it may occur even sooner if all the pieces goes easily.
The under-construction tunnel in Uttarkashi is a part of the formidable Char Dham undertaking, a nationwide infrastructure initiative to reinforce connectivity to the Hindu pilgrimage websites of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. The labourers acquired trapped when a portion of the tunnel had collapsed on November 12.