KHLIEHRIAT, June 5: In continuation of the rescue operation taken yesterday, the rescue teams of NDRF and SDRF arrived at the incident site to commence the operation at around 09:15 AM and the team verified the level of the water before resuming the dewatering process and found that the level of the water recedes to about 20 feet from the level of the previous day but could not ascertain whether the receding is due to pumping or natural seepage of the water as there was no rains yesterday. Around midday water pumps were replaced with another one and dewatering resumes till filing of this report.
Additional 200 KVA Gen Set arrived at the incident site to augment the power back up as more pumps are being in the process to install and technical persons were engaged in fitting the additional pumps and in mobilizing control panels to commission the 200 KV Gen Set
The combined rescue team along with the District Administration and in consultation with local expertise is exploring that there is a possibility that this mine shaft is connected with another mine shaft which is 270 meters (aerial distance) away from this mine shaft where the accident took place.
As per NDRF report, this nearby shaft is 330 feet deep and the depth underwater is 152 feet. As far as the depth of the water is concerned there is a likelihood that the two shafts may be connected with one another by a same underground tunnel.
The District Administration has written to the Director of Land Records to send a survey team to study the water level of the two shafts with respect to the ground level as done earlier in the case of Ksan incident.
Further, the District Administration is following up with Coal India Limited (CIL), Guwahati for supply of additional pumps and the process is still on.