Nepal’s ‘tunnel era’ was hailed as progress. Then came the Rasuwa flood
Summary
The Rasuwa flood has left workers missing inside hydropower tunnels, triggering a difficult rescue operation and renewed debate over Nepal’s tunnel-based development model. Families, project companies, and experts say delays and debris-filled tunnels have complicated the search.
Key Points
- A massive flood in Rasuwa damaged 12 hydropower projects and left hundreds of workers and engineers missing, with search teams still trying to locate those trapped inside tunnels.
- A Chinese worker was rescued alive from the Upper Trishuli-1 tunnel, but Milan Kharel and many others remain unaccounted for.
- The Nepali Army, project companies, and international tunnel expert Arnold Dix are involved in rescue efforts, which are being slowed by mud, debris, washed-out roads, and difficult terrain.
- The disaster has sparked a wider debate about Nepal’s tunnel era and the risks faced by hydropower infrastructure built in flood-prone geography.
