Search and rescue operations are continuing at hydropower projects affected by the 26 August flooding in northern Nepal, with teams working to gain access to tunnels and underground structures where workers are believed to be trapped.
Nepal’s Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation issued its latest progress update on 2 September, detailing ongoing rescue, relief, coordination and electricity restoration work at hydropower projects and other power infrastructure in the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts.
The Ministry has been publishing regular updates on the response, including reports on 31 August, 1 September and 2 September, as rescue teams continue efforts to reach inaccessible areas of affected projects. Attention remains focused on several hydropower tunnels along the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli corridor.
At the 111MW Rasuwagadhi Hydroelectric Project in Rasuwa, there is renewed hope that workers may have survived inside an underground structure. Amshu Kiran Shahi, a board member of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), told Reuters that authorities believe 46 people could be trapped in a room-like structure within the tunnel.
Shahi said officials were hopeful the workers could still be alive because the structure was believed to contain food and water. The Nepali Army had previously entered the tunnel without locating the room and was preparing to search it again.
Rescue work is also continuing at the 60MW Upper Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project. Authorities have located the tunnel entrance and have been working to drain water and provide air to the tunnel while attempting to establish access.
According to the NEA, rocks and soil around the entrance have been removed to create an access route, while crown blasting has been carried out and pumps deployed to remove water from the cable tunnel. However, conditions inside the tunnel continue to make access difficult.
Reuters reported on 2 September that officials believe there is a dry chamber inside the Upper Trishuli-3A tunnel and that pipes are being used to supply oxygen. Shahi said authorities remained hopeful of finding survivors there.
Search operations are also under way at other hydropower sites in the region. The Nepali Army said earlier this week that rescue teams had advanced around 150m into the Langtang hydropower tunnel and around 200m into the Upper Trishuli-1 tunnel, while a joint team had entered approximately 50m into the tunnel at Chilime Hydropower.
Video released by the Nepali Army and carried by Reuters Connect on 2 September showed a joint Nepali and Indian rescue team operating inside the Langtang hydropower tunnel. The Army said the team had reached around 150m inside while searching for missing workers.
At Chilime, rescue personnel have subsequently been reported to have advanced about 90m into the approximately 250m-long tunnel before being prevented from proceeding further. The operation involves the Nepali Army, Armed Police Force, an Indian technical team and project personnel.
International specialists are supporting the rescue effort. Teams and experts from India, China and South Korea are among those assisting operations, while Reuters reported that specialist assistance and equipment are being deployed to help locate people inside the affected tunnels.
The Nepali Army previously reported that 279 people were rescued alive from hydropower projects immediately following the floods, including 221 people from Upper Trishuli-3A and 33 from Upper Trishuli-1.
The number of people still unaccounted for at hydropower projects remains uncertain and figures reported by different organisations have varied as information from the affected sites is reconciled. Local reports citing the Independent Power Producers’ Association Nepal said hundreds of workers remained missing across projects in the affected area as of 2 September.
The disaster has also had a significant impact on Nepal’s electricity system. Prime Minister Balendra Shah said this week that 431MW of generating capacity had been disrupted by the floods, while the government continues work to restore power, telecommunications and transport infrastructure.
Search operations remained active on 3 September.
