Overview

• The government has instructed the Irrigation Department to resume drilling and blasting on the remaining 10 km of the SLBC tunnel as its top priority.
• Col. Parikshit Mehra and Gen. Harpal Singh have joined the department on deputation to address technical and safety challenges.
• The project team is partnering with the Geological Survey of India and the National Geophysical Research Institute to conduct electromagnetic and aerial LiDAR surveys for precise rerouting.
• Officials estimate a two-year timeline to finish tunneling, including bypassing unstable shear zones and soft rock areas.
• Once completed, the 43.9 km SLBC tunnel will irrigate 400,000 acres in Nalgonda and Khammam districts by channeling water from the Srisailam Dam.