New Delhi: The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) has estimated approximate damage of Rs 600 crore following a pipeline burst at the Kopili hydropower station along the Assam-Meghalaya border.
The corporation has pressed into action a team of 90 dedicated personal to rescue four people trapped in the reservoir since October 7.
A high-speed water pipeline burst at the Kopili hydropower station in Umrangshu in Assam's Dima Hasao district on October 7, which led to massive flooding in the area. Officials said altogether, 800m of the project area was affected.
"At present, our major focus is the rescue operation of the trapped workers. We are using manpower as well as sophisticated gadgets including JCB machines (excavators) to clear the area, so that we can trace the people," NEEPCO CMD VK Singh said.
He said that at present, restrictions have been put around the area and it will take a minimum of seven months to restore the work.
National disaster response force and state disaster response force have also been helping in the rescue operation.
Officials said earth in the basement of a two-storey pump house of the project is causing hindrance in the rescue work.
"The major reason for the accident was the unabated coal mining (rat hole mining) along the adjacent area of the reservoir," Singh said, adding that on several occasions, NEEPCO had raised the issue with the state as well as the central government.
"We had cautioned the Centre as well as the Assam and Meghalaya governments on Kopili's water turning acidic owing to drainage from the nearby coal mining site, but no concrete step was taken," he said.
NEEPCO generates 275 MW from the two power stations of the project, out of which Assam receives a lion share of 150 MW power, Singh said. The total capacity of the reservoir is 6,000 crore litres.
Read: 3 feared trapped as water pipeline bursts in Assam power project
