SURKHET, May 3: Tunnel boring machine (TBM) used in Bheri-Babai Diversion Project has dug four kilometers in six months.
The national pride project has been using TBM to dig 12-kilometer tunnel since November 6, 2017.
“The TBM completed excavation of four kilometers by 12 noon on Monday,” said Rukmanggad Khanal, senior division engineer, of the project. He further said that the tunnel will be ready within the stipulated deadline.
The project has targeted to complete tunneling work by 2020. Chinese company China Overseas Engineering Group Limited is the contractor of the project.
TBM put to work for tunneling in Bheri-Babai project
The project will generate 48 megawatt of hydropower by diverting water of Bheri River from Chiple in Bheriganga Municipality-9 to Babai River in Hattikhal of Bheriganga Municipality-1. The 12-kilometer tunnel is being built through Chure hills. The water diverted from Bheri River will irrigate 51,000 hectares of land in Bardiya and Banke districts of Province 5 throughout the year.
This is the first time that a TBM has been used in an infrastructure project in Nepal. Before its introduction, contractors were digging tunnel through drilling and blasting.
The Chinese company is using TBM 18 hours a day. The Department of Irrigation decided to bring TBM since to dig tunnel as the geology of the tunnel area is not suitable for drilling and blasting.
Some 90 Chinese technicians and around 500 Nepali workers are working in the project site. A tunnel of 5.6 meters width is being dug. Workers are also installing concrete segment linings in the tunnel. According to project officials, around 36,000 concrete segments are needed for the 12-kilometer tunnel.
Meanwhile, locals and project workers sealed the project office on Tuesday, demanding facilities like roads, electricity, irrigation and drinking water. Similarly, workers are protesting against discrimination.
“Nepali workers are being kicked out from the job under different pretexts. We want such discrimination to end,” Prem Mahatara, president of workers’ union, told Republica. He further said that the workers will continue the protest until their demands are addressed.
Similarly, locals said that the project was not fulfilling their demands of arranging even the basic requirements for people in the project affected area. Nabin Saru, president of a local pressure group, said that the project has not provided facilities like drinking water and irrigation, and built other infrastructures. “The project has not worked as per its commitment. We will not withdraw our protest unless all our demands are met,” he added.
The project office, however, says that it has been fulfilling all the demands raised by the locals. “We have already addressed 10 of their 24 demands,” Prakash Pudasaini, an official of the project, said. “Remaining demands will be also addressed after holding necessary discussions.”
