Ventilation, dewatering speeded up at SLBC tunnel

The rescue team at the SLBC tunnel has stepped up ventilation and soil excavation, along with continuous dewatering operations at the site in the Domalapenta village of Amrabad mandal in Nagarkurnool district.
Special Officer Shivashankar Lotheti, who is overseeing the rescue operations, visited the SLBC Tunnel Inlet–1 office on Saturday to monitor progress, along with senior officials of the rescue teams.
The operations are focused on locating the workers trapped in the tunnel after the recent mishap. Shivashankar said that the rescue teams from both the Central and state governments are coordinating and working round-the-clock to overcome challenges and continue operations.
“We are intensifying the efforts on all fronts – clearing steel debris inside the tunnel, accelerating soil excavation, managing dewatering by pumping out water, and using a conveyor belt system to transport the excavated mud out of the tunnel,” he said.
Officials from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the Irrigation Department are continuously monitoring the situation at the incident site and are providing advice and technical guidance to the top-level rescue teams. “Ventilation processes are being advanced in tandem with the excavation to ensure better air circulation inside the tunnel,” Shivashankar said.