International tunneling expert Arnold Dix at the under-construction Silkyara tunnel as drilling through the rubble to prepare an escape route for the 41 trapped workers remains stalled, in Uttarkashi district.
Credit: PTI Photo
The rescue operation to get 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel resumed again on Friday morning, a day after another snag halted the efforts.
The multi-agency rescue mission has been going on for 11 days since a stretch of the under-construction tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Char Dham route collapsed on November 12.
Apart from agencies including Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN), Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), and Tehri Hydro Development Corporation India Limited (THDCL) that have been entrusted with the rescue mission, International expert Arnold Dix has also reached the disaster site to review and help with the operation.
Arnold Dix is the president of the Geneva-based International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association. He is also a barrister, scientist and professor of engineering.
He told PTI that he couldn’t set a timeline but was certain that the rescue effort would be successful with several Indian agencies coordinating well in the effort. Dix also warned against rushing the process as it might "complicate" things.
Arnold, a noted expert on underground tunnelling, has been credited with finding technical solutions to complex challenges in underground spaces. He also provides risk mitigation and disaster response advice in complicated technical and engineering contexts.
Dix along with two others formed the Underground Works Chambers in 2020 to provide a safer contractual space to carry out related works.
Arnold was awarded the Alan Neyland Australasian Tunnelling Society bi-annual award in March 2011 for excellence in tunnelling and contribution to fire safety. This is considered the highest honour for tunnelling professionals in Australia.
He was also awarded a distinguished Committee Service Award by the National Fire Protection Association of the United States of America in June 2022 for his service to the NFPA in the development of NFPA codes and standards.