KATHMANDU, Sept 14: Rescue efforts are underway to reach six workers feared trapped inside the Chilime Hydropower Company Limited in Rasuwa, where floods and landslides have destroyed the road network.
Only around 13 kilometers of the road from district headquarters Dhunche toward Syabrubesi remains intact. Beyond the 12th hairpin bend, settlements and stretches of road have been reduced to ruins, making even walking extremely dangerous.
The Chilime project has also been devastated by the flood. Project employees say six workers who went to work on the morning of the disaster have been out of contact since the Bhotekoshi River flooded on August 26.
Those feared trapped inside the project are Saroj Pandey, who was on morning duty; Mechanical Supervisor Santosh Pandey; Electrical Supervisor Min Raj Moktan; security guard Tilak Bahadur Thapa Magar; and powerhouse assistant Shyam Bahadur Thapa Magar. Nepal Electricity Authority employee Lakpa Tamang is also feared to be trapped inside.
Reaching the project has proved extremely difficult as the flood has swept away or buried much of the area. The Bhotekoshi River is now flowing through sections of the destroyed road leading toward Syabrubesi.
India, China, South Korea send technical teams to Nepal for flo...
Only a roughly 20-meter-wide mound remains near the project’s tunnel entrance. Steep cliffs surround the area, leaving little space for rescue operations and making it difficult even for a small helicopter to land.
A new road has been constructed to transport equipment needed to clear mud and debris from the tunnel. As construction of the access road took time, rescuers began removing mud from inside the tunnel on Saturday.
A total of 102 people, including 35 personnel from the Nepali and Indian armies and other technical experts, have been mobilized for the rescue operation.
An employee of the Chilime project said workers at the powerhouse were normally supplied with food and snacks by vehicle. However, no food has been available to those believed to be trapped since the flood.
The workers have access to drinking water inside, but there is no cooking gas, as all operations at the facility depend on electricity, according to the employee.
Meanwhile, efforts are underway to restore road connectivity between Dhunche and Syabrubesi, as all roads linking the two areas have been destroyed.
A road is being constructed to take rescue equipment to the tunnel entrance of the Chilime project, while a temporary ropeway is being installed to connect the site across the river.
The ropeway is also being built to connect Dhunche with Syabrubesi and Aamachhodingmo Rural Municipality.
Rasuwa Chief District Officer Kamal Prasad Pandey said restoring connectivity was the most urgent need in the district. He said a temporary ropeway and a Bailey bridge could help connect Dhunche with Syabrubesi and eventually facilitate access toward Timure.
“Connectivity is the most urgent need for Rasuwa at present. If a Bailey bridge or another alternative can be installed at Betrawati, it will allow access up to Dhunche. For now, we have built a ropeway to connect Dhunche with Syabrubesi and areas beyond,” Pandey said. “Even if it provides only limited access, we hope it will allow people to travel through local roads. Otherwise, there is no alternative to air transport.”
Plans to install a Bailey bridge at Betrawati, which connects Rasuwa and Nuwakot, have also been complicated by extensive riverbank erosion caused by the flood.
An alternative road is being constructed from Bidur through Tirtire and Dhunge to Betrawati. In the meantime, a temporary structure made of wood and bamboo is being built to allow pedestrians to cross the river until a Bailey bridge can be installed.
If the temporary crossing is completed, people will be able to cross the river on foot from Betrawati, while vehicles can reach Dhunche from the Rasuwa side. Authorities hope this will at least restore road connectivity to the district headquarters and ease access to Rasuwa.
