Rescuers failed to reach the four people trapped inside a powerhouse on Tuesday more than 24 hours after a pipeline to a hydel project in Assam’s Dima Hasao district burst on Monday morning, senior officials said.
Relief and rescue personnel said access to the incident site at the 275 megawatts Kopili Hydro Electric Project is blocked due to flooding and the continuous release of water from the punctured pipeline, which reportedly carries 12,000 litres of water per second.
It is operated by the state-run North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO).
“Four persons, including three employees of NEEPCO and one employee of a contractor who is involved in maintenance, were present at the powerhouse when it got flooded. They are yet to be accounted for,” said Rondeep Changkakoti, who heads the human resource department at the Kopili Hydro Electric Project.
“Four persons, including three employees of NEEPCO and one employee of a contractor who is involved in maintenance, were present at the powerhouse when it got flooded. They are yet to be accounted for,” said Rondeep Changkakoti, who heads the human resource department.
That the project, built on the Kopili River and its Umrong tributary, is situated in the hills has compounded the complications in relief and rescue operation by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and fire and emergency services.
“It is not possible to access the site at this point till the pressure of the water goes down,” said S Langthasa, the station officer at the Umrangso Fire Station.
NEEPCO sent a letter to officials of seven districts in Meghalaya and Assam after the incident informing them about the damage to the pipeline of the Umrong reservoir, one of the two of the project.
It said that as a safety measure to control the flow of water all gates of the reservoir are being opened.
The incident happened at 6.30am on Monday, according to R Phukan, the district project officer of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority.
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