Relatives of workers trapped at Upper Trishuli-1 head to flood-hit site

Kathmandu, August 31

Relatives of people trapped at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project have headed to the project site after reaching an agreement with the company over search and rescue efforts.

The relatives had staged a sit-in at the Kathmandu office of Nepal Water and Energy Development Company (NWEDC) in Thapathali, demanding that the condition of their family members be made public.

Following an agreement between the company and the affected families, the relatives were taken to the site by two helicopters.

They will assess the condition of their family members, the progress of search and rescue operations and the damage caused to the project site.

The families had staged the protest after receiving no clear information about their relatives for five days. They had demanded that the company either rescue those who were alive or hand over their bodies if they had died, while also calling for immediate access to the project site.

Under the agreement reached between the company and the affected families, helicopters and rescue teams will be made available for search and rescue operations. The company will also arrange transportation required to reach the affected areas and cover the expenses of relatives travelling to the site for search and rescue efforts.

The company has also agreed to provide the families with details on the condition of all employees working at the project, CCTV footage from the day of the incident and its immediate action plan for dealing with the disaster. It will coordinate with government agencies as necessary.

The agreement also states that information related to the incident will be provided to the affected families and updates will be made public through social media.

The relatives had accused the company of failing to provide sufficient information about people at the project site since the day of the flood. They said the lack of clear information about the employees and workers had left them even more uncertain about their family members’ condition.

Speaking to Onlinekhabar earlier, relatives said the company had offered them assurances for five days without providing concrete information. With the condition of people inside the project tunnel and those at the Mailung site office still unclear, they had questioned the company’s responsibility.

According to the company, 576 workers were at the Upper Trishuli-1 project, while 75 people were at the Mailung site office.

The relatives had been demanding to visit the site themselves to find out where their family members were and what condition they were in.

The company had said a helicopter was kept ready for rescue operations but that it had not received government permission to fly. A Korean representative of the company had said five helicopters were on standby.

Following the agreement, the relatives have now been given an opportunity to see the situation at the site themselves. They were flown towards the project site on two helicopters.

According to the relatives, they will receive firsthand information from rescue teams and company representatives at the site and assess the condition of people working at the project. They will also inspect the areas affected by the flood and locations where search and rescue operations are underway.

The 216MW Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project is under construction in Rasuwa. The project’s tunnel and the Mailung area were affected by the flood.

Anger among the families had intensified over delays in the search and rescue of people believed to be trapped at the project.

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