Global Expertise Also Lacks Solutions for Flood- and Mud-Blocked Hydropower Tunnels: PM Shah

Kathmandu: Prime Minister Balen Shah has said the impact of the Rasuwa floods on tunnels of various hydropower projects was different from similar incidents reported internationally, making rescue efforts difficult and delayed.

Addressing the House of Representatives at the beginning of the meeting, Shah said the disaster that occurred inside hydropower project tunnels following the Rasuwa floods was of a special nature.

“When a disaster occurs in a tunnel, there is expertise all over the world to enter by removing landslides that have occurred inside the tunnel. But this is a different incident,” Prime Minister Shah said. “Here, the tunnels were not blocked by landslides but by floods and mud. Neither other countries nor we have the expertise to open tunnels in such a situation.”

He said tunnel disasters in other countries and subsequent rescue operations differ from the incident in which people became trapped inside hydropower project tunnels following the Rasuwa floods.

Shah said work in the tunnel areas could proceed only if weather conditions improve and the mud dries, while geographical difficulties have also complicated rescue efforts. He also clarified in Parliament the suggestion that more excavators should be deployed to remove the soil.

Stating that taking a large number of excavators to the tunnel sites would not speed up the work, he said only one excavator can operate inside a tunnel at a time.

“It is not possible just by Google and asking AI. You cannot know everything there just by going far and looking,” Shah said at the House meeting. “We, the Army, Armed Police, and others are working there. Instead of saying that this work has not been done or that work has not been done, we should start encouraging them.”

Some have criticized the government for not allowing foreign experts to provide assistance immediately after the floods last week. Referring to the criticism, Shah said it was not possible to immediately enter the tunnel sites at that time.

According to Prime Minister Shah, eight hydropower projects operating in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli corridors had a combined generation capacity of 281 megawatts, while four projects under construction had a combined capacity of 388 megawatts. He informed the House that only a few of the projects could be repaired and that a huge investment would be required.

Stating that the floods had disrupted 4,31 megawatts of electricity generation, Shah said electricity service had been restored to 85 percent of the area in Nuwakot through alternative transmission arrangements. He claimed that 98 percent of electricity service had been restored in Dhading and 40 percent in Rasuwa.