India’s nine top agencies form unified command to save 8 lives in Telangana SLBC tunnel collapse

Telangana irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy with Tourism and Culture Minister Jupally Krishna Rao at the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel.
| Photo Credit: Handle @UttamINC on X

It’s a race against time as the country’s top nine agencies renowned for handling rescue operations during natural disasters are working round the clock to the save the eight persons stuck inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Nagarkurnool district, a part of which collapsed on Saturday (February 22, 2025) morning.

“The crack teams comprising experienced personnel from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Hydrological Investigation agency and other related departments have been formed into a unified command to oversee the rescue operations,” Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy told The Hindu on Monday (February 24, 2025).

Mr. Reddy, who has been coordinating with different agencies since the news broke on Saturday, said that all of the most experience personnel are meeting every couple of hours to review the situation and devising plans to overcome the unforeseen hurdles that are cropping up with each passing hour. Top Army and Navy officials are also camping at SLBC to oversee the rescue operations. Special Chief Secretary (Revenue – Disaster Management) Arvind Kumar has been made the nodal person to monitor the developments.

70 personnel got into the tunnel on Saturday morning

Glen, the project manager of the USA based The Robbins Company – which is world renowned for providing Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) – was leading the work on the fateful day. Quoting Mr. Glen, the Minister said the 70 personnel including engineers all got into the tunnel as usual at 8 a.m. of Saturday.

“While a couple of personnel were in the front, the rest were behind. A small leak was noticed which the site engineers found not very unusual. While working in such huge projects, these small leaks are always visible and the work goes on,” Mr. Glen was quoted as telling the Minister.

The disaster strikes

However, disaster stuck as there was sudden gush of water and muck with such a force that the machine was pushed back leaving the workers running for their lives. Eight persons, who were close the point where a gaping hole occurred, could not rush out. “They are said to be stuck at that point,” the US Project Manager told the Minister prompting emergency response from the Governmental agencies.

Mr. Glen himself managed to rush out in the nick of the time to save himself. The Site Engineers believe it could be a geological fault line that could have ended in the mishap. The work on the project had been stopped for almost five years during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime and it was only after the Congress Government came to power, the work resumed.

Agreement to take up SLBC project made in 2005

Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the agreement to take up the SLBC project was made in 2005 during the regime headed by late Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy. The cost of the project was ₹4,600 crore at that time and the tunnel covers a distance of 44 kms of which work on 35 kms is already completed. Interestingly, the tunnel works are 400 metres below the Amrabad Tiger Reserve. The environmental clearance was given only after the Government assured that the tunnel would have end to end opening in its 44 kms run from Srisailam to Devarakonda.

Project to irrigate 4 lakh acres ayacut

Once completed, the project will draw 30 tmcft water to irrigate four-lakh acres of ayacut in Nalgonda and Khammam district. This is also World’s longest irrigation tunnel.

Terming it as a ‘freak’ accident, Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy said they were not sure when the rescue operations would conclude. “The joint rescue teams are putting in their best to ensure a happy ending to the unfortunate mishap,” he remarked.