KATHMANDU – Hopes of finding survivors trapped inside hydropower tunnels in Nepal are fading, a week after devastating floods and landslides swept through the country, with rescue teams still battling thick mud and debris.
No survivors have been confirmed so far, despite earlier government estimates that more than 100 workers could still be alive inside several tunnels.
“Search and rescue operations are still ongoing, and foreign teams are also assisting at the hydropower tunnels. They continue working despite the difficulties, with large amounts of mud, debris and sludge,” said National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) spokesperson Shanti Mahat.
According to NDRRMA figures, those feared trapped are among 639 hydropower workers still missing after mud and debris hit the area on Aug 26.
“In some cases, it is difficult to locate the entrances and, even when they are found, rescuers discover that the tunnels are blocked further inside. But efforts are continuing,” Mahat told AFP.
Rescuers on Monday recovered at least three bodies from two tunnels and managed to enter several tunnels to depths of several hundred metres before being blocked by mud.
“We have access to all the tunnels, but it is difficult to enter because there are rocks and sludge,” Nepal Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said.
Meanwhile, the Nepal Electricity Authority said 11 hydropower stations and one solar power station, with a combined capacity of 431.1 megawatts, had been forced to suspend operations.
The affected capacity accounts for about 10 per cent of Nepal’s installed electricity generation capacity.
A further 15 energy projects under construction, with a planned capacity of 470 megawatts, also suffered damage. -AGENCY
