Workers safely evacuated as water enters Tarbela powerhouse after rockfall

Water entering the tunnels and power plants of the Tarbela Dam 5th Extension Hydropower Project has been drained following a rockfall, with authorities confirming the situation is now under control.

During excavation work for a connecting tunnel, a piece of rock collapsed, injuring a worker and causing water from a water intake well to flow into the tunnel and the power plant under construction. According to the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), the incident occurred during the excavation of the second bench of the connecting tunnel after a weak rock part gave way.

Haripur Deputy Commissioner Wasim Ahmed said work on the project was stopped immediately after the incident. An emergency was also declared at the site and precautions were taken.

He said all workers were safely evacuated while technical teams of WAPDA and Haripur police were monitoring the situation. Nearby communities faced no threat, he added.

WAPDA said water had been completely drained from the intake pit, while efforts to remove the remaining water from the powerhouse were under way. Senior WAPDA officials, consultants and contractors are assessing the situation to determine the seriousness of the incident.

Authorities also dismissed reports of a collapse in the Tarbela 5 tunnel, clarifying that the project’s main tunnel and power plant were not damaged.

WAPDA confirmed that all workers had been accounted for and no fatalities had been reported. An investigation is under way to establish the cause of the incident. Browse topics