ISLAMABAD — HARIPUR: The civil work, meant to plug the crater caused by the collapse of a weak rock mass in the intake pit area of the Tarbela Dam 5th Extension Hydropower Project (T-5), is in full swing. Engineers and project workers are busy round the clock to ensure the project is commissioned according to schedule, according to an official source at the project site.
On Monday morning, a weak rock mass collapsed during excavation of the 2nd Bench Connecting Tunnel, causing water from the intake pit to enter the tunnel and the powerhouse area of the T-5 project, said an official handout. It added that all workers engaged in routine activities were immediately evacuated safely. Official sources and Haripur district administration said water from the intake pit had been completely drained; no further water was entering the downstream work sites, and dewatering of the under-construction powerhouse had started.
They said the rock mass collapse caused no damage to the main tunnel, the under-construction powerhouse, the tailrace culvert or the switchyard. Likely to be completed within a week A source at the project site said that following the immediate dewatering of the intake pit, the consultants, contractors and Wapda team initially assessed the incident before starting the concrete work to plug the hole, which continued until this report was filed.