Overview
- Workers were forced from the site after water entered Tunnel Five during excavation, with officials saying the breach occurred on Monday and triggered an immediate evacuation.
- All Pakistani and foreign staff were moved to safety and one worker who was swept into the flow was rescued by emergency teams with no fatalities reported.
- WAPDA and project engineers report that the intake pit has been drained, dewatering of the under-construction powerhouse is underway, and the authority denies damage to the main tunnel or downstream structures.
- Construction has been suspended indefinitely and a high-level technical committee has been launched to determine whether the failure was caused by a protective bund collapse, weak rock mass, structural fault, or other technical issue.
- The T-5 scheme is a $807 million, internationally financed project meant to add 1,530 MW to Tarbela and its history of delays from reservoir levels and permit hurdles could extend the pause and affect Pakistan's planned power gains.