Rat-Hole Miners Close to Rescuing Trapped Workers in Uttarakhand Tunnel
New Delhi: After 17 days of rescue operations, a team of “rat-hole miners” has made significant progress in reaching the 41 workers trapped in the debris of the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. The miners began manual drilling operations yesterday, and if there are no further obstacles, the rescuers are hopeful for an early evacuation of the trapped laborers.
Neeraj Khairwal, the Nodal Officer for the Silkyara rescue operation and Secretary to the Uttarakhand government, provided an update on the progress. “As of now, we have pushed 55.3 meters of the pipe, which includes clearing the rubble and laying the pipe. We only have a little more distance to go, around 57-59 meters. If there are no more hurdles, it might take a few more hours. By evening, we are hoping for the best,” he said.
Once the workers are rescued, they will be taken to a hospital in Uttarkashi. A special ward with 41 beds has been set up for their treatment. The Silkyara tunnel is part of the Char Dham project, an initiative to improve connectivity to the Hindu pilgrimage sites of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri.
In related news, rat-hole mining, a method of coal extraction that was banned by the National Green Tribunal in 2014, is being used in the rescue operation. Rat-hole mining involves digging small pits to extract coal, and in this case, it is being used to manually drill a narrow passageway towards the trapped workers. This method has proven successful in making quick progress, with the rescue team now just a few meters away from the workers.
Rat-hole mining is commonly practiced in Meghalaya, where the coal seam is thin, making other mining methods economically unviable. However, the practice has been associated with accidents and environmental pollution.
The rescue team consists of 24 experienced rat-hole miners who are working tirelessly to create a safe route for the trapped workers. The manual drilling process involves removing debris and excavating a narrow passageway. The vertical drilling from above the tunnel has also been employed, with around 40% of the required 86-meter drilling completed.
The entire nation is anxiously awaiting the successful rescue of the trapped workers and hopes for their safe evacuation.
