Meghalaya mine collapse: Have sought powerful pumps, they will arrive soon, says Coal India

NDRF officers at the spot explained that the rescue personnel were working with two 25 HP pumps since the operation began, and that they had not been able to reduce the water level in the narrow vertical tunnel of the mine even slightly.

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A crane lowers one of the men down as NDRF personnel conduct search operations to trace the missing 15 persons. (Express photo/Abhishek Saha)

Fourteen days after at least 15 workers were trapped in a coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district, Coal India Limited on Thursday began requisitioning powerful pumps demanded by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to continue the search operations.

J K Borah, general manager North Eastern Coalfields of the Coal India Limited, told The Indian Express that the requisitioning of at least six pumps from locations like Ranchi, Dhanbad, and Asansol was initiated on Thursday.

“The pumps will arrive here shortly, in a few days,” Borah said.

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Coal India Limited officials said they received the request for the pumps on Wednesday evening, though the Deputy Commissioner of the East Jaintia Hills district had written to Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management, Meghalaya on December 20 demanding ten pumps of 100 HP.

NDRF officers at the spot explained that the rescue personnel were working with two 25 HP pumps since the operation began, and that they had not been able to reduce the water level in the narrow vertical tunnel of the mine even slightly.

The height of the water column in the 300-foot deep pit is around 70 feet and NDRF officials say that unless it is reduced to 40 feet, divers cannot go in to search for the trapped miners.

Since Monday, no fresh pumping has taken place since pumping by the two available pumps were stopped due to their ineffectiveness.

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Borah said that a Coal India Limited team will visit the spot on Friday to “see the ground reality”.

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