NEW DELHI, July 6: A red alert was sounded in Doda district on Wednesday following the collapse of a diversion tunnel at Baglihar hydro-project dam, which started overflowing due to rise in water levels in Chenab river at Chanderkote in Jammu and Kashmir, news reports said.
Zeenews TV channel quoted officials of sate owned Power Development Corporation as saying construction activity was suspended at the controversial site after 150-200 metres of the 550 metre-long diversion tunnel number 2 was washed away on Tuesday afternoon.
On Monday surging waters of Chenab had washed away a 105-metre bridge at the disputed Baglihar project and submerged two villages in Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir.
Wednesday’s reports said the reservoir rose alarmingly to 766 metres following the tunnel collapse and started overflowing. It was said to be posing a threat to the other diversion tunnel of the 450 MW project.
The rising Chenab is also posing a threat to a cable crane, that carries raw stock to the dam site. It has developed an 80 metre-wide crack as the hill to which it was fixed is sinking into dam slowly.
If the situation continues to worsen experts say that the power house in the vicinity of dam site too might be threatened.
