Major breakthrough in Kopili disaster; water flow into power plant restricted

Five days after the crisis at the Kopili power plant began, the rescue teams have finally managed to shut the gate of the intake point of the inclined tunnel, the downstream of which got breached at multiple locations.

This comes as a major relief to the rescue efforts at the 200 mega watt power plant near Umrangso where 4 workers went missing ever since the crisis began.

An expert team from the Bhakra Nangal dam has also been at work at the site and they had been trying along with the NEEPCO team to close the intake gates, and finally their efforts have bore fruit.

Now with the intake gates closed, rescue efforts are expected to begin to look for the four missing workers within the power plant site.

Meanwhile, the families of the four missing persons have also reportedly gathered near the site of the power plant in hopes that their kin would be discovered, now that the rescue operations are expected to start soon.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday ordered an inquiry into the water pipeline burst at NEEPCO’s 275 mega watt Kopili hydel project. The inquiry will be conducted by DIG South, Assam division, PK Dutta.

Chief Minister Sonowal has asked minister-in-charge of hill areas development Sum Ronghangh to visit the site with a high powered team, comprising of MP Haren Singh Bay, MLAs B.B. Hagjer and Nomal Momin and Dima Hasao Autonomous Council chief executive member Debolal Gorlosa.

Sonowal announced the decision after a meeting with senior NEEPCO officers, during which he took first hand information of the incident.