GUWAHATI: In an unprecedented disaster, four workers went missing or feared trapped inside a pump house after water pipeline carrying water to the NEEPCO’s Kopili Hydro Electric Plant at Umrangshu in Dima Hasao district of Assam exploded on Monday morning.
Three employees of the plant – Robert Baite, Prem Pal Balmiki, Joy Sing Timung and an employee of a private firm went missing following the burst in a water tunnel near Umrangso.
The tunnel that got exploded used to that carry water at the rate of 12,000 litres per second from the NEEPCO reservoir to the Kopili Hydro Power Project site. The burst in the water tunnel led to a huge water column that rose up to several hundred feet into the sky. The busting of the water tunnel was associated with a deafening sound that was heard by locals.
Senior NEEPCO functionaries along with Dima Hasao administration and police officials rushed to the spot to take the stock of the situation and assess the rescue efforts.
Project officer of the Dima Hasao District Disaster Management Authority Ricky Phukan said a rescue fire service team that was rushed to the spot on Monday, was trying to trace the missing persons.
“Due to the pressure of water in the area, the quest for the trapped persons has become difficult. A thorough search will be possible only after the water pressure comes down following its release from the reservoir,” he said.
After the accident, NEEPCO opened all the gates of the reservoir to release excess water and reduce the water pressure.
A high-level central team has arriving to probe the accident that had taken place early Monday. The 275-MW capacity Kopili Hydro Electric Project on Kopili River in Assam was the first venture of NEEPCO which came into being in 1976.