Nineteen employees of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) were trapped inside the powerhouse of the Dhauliganga Hydroelectric Project in Pithoragarh district on Sunday after a landslide blocked both normal and emergency tunnels.
According to officials, continuous rainfall triggered the landslide near the project site in Ealagarh, close to Dharchula, leaving the entry routes completely choked with debris, news agency PTI reported.
Dharchula Deputy District Magistrate Jitendra Verma confirmed that Border Roads Organisation (BRO) machines have been deployed to clear the obstruction. “Machines have been deployed to remove the debris, and the way will be cleared by evening, after which all the workers will be able to come out,” Verma said, as quoted by PTI.
Despite intermittent landslides, the clearing operation is ongoing with JCB machines, he added. Verma emphasised that all workers are safe and would be evacuated once access is restored. Power generation from the project continues without interruption.
Purported visuals of the landslide have surfaced on social media.
Dharchula–Tawaghat National Highway remains closed after a major landslide near the NHPC power house yesterday, which was caught on camera. The landslide brought down a massive portion of the hillside, blocking the road and impacting the Dhauliganga hydropower project tunnel.… https://t.co/w60QIRTekv pic.twitter.com/uOXrcGX5tn
— Kumaon Jagran (@KumaonJagran) August 31, 2025
भारी बारिश के कारण पिथौरागढ़ के धारचूला में एलागाड़ के पास एनएचपीसी की धौली गंगा जल विद्युत परियोजना की टनल को गंभीर नुकसान पहुंचा है। भारी भूस्खलन से टनल का ऊपरी हिस्सा बुरी तरह क्षतिग्रस्त हो गया, जिसमें रिसता पानी साफ दिखाई दे रहा है। तस्वीरों में क्षति की गंभीरता स्पष्ट है,… pic.twitter.com/Hj34KrqIvb
— bhUpi Panwar (@askbhupi) August 31, 2025
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