3 feared trapped as water pipeline bursts in Assam power

At least three persons were feared trapped inside a pump house after a pipeline carrying water to a hydro-power plant burst in Assam's Dima Hasao district on Monday, official sources said.

A large portion of the Kopili Hydro Electric Plant of state-run North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) was also inundated due to the rupture in the pipeline that carries 12,000 litres of water per second.

The incident took place in the wee hours of Monday and at least three persons were inside a pump house of the plant at that time and they are feared trapped there, the sources said.

A few more people had been stuck at different locations of the project area but they were rescued during the day, they said.

No official confirmation could be obtained as repeated calls made to the authorities remained unanswered.

The pipeline that burst used to supply water to the hydro power project from a reservoir at Umrangso area in Dima Hasao district of Assam, sources said.

After the incident, NEEPCO opened all the gates of the reservoir to release excess water and reduce the pressure.

Located on the Kopili river in Dima Hasao, the Kopili Hydro Electric Project was the maiden venture of NEEPCO when it came into existence in 1976.

The current total installed capacity of the project is 275 MW.