States » SouthPosted at: Oct 4 2026 5:46PM


SLBC tunnel project crosses major geological hurdle, breakthrough targeted by June 2028: Uttam

Hyderabad, Oct 4 (UNI) Excavation of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel has crossed a major geological challenge, paving the way for deployment of additional equipment and faster construction, Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said on Sunday.
Reviewing the project with elected representatives and senior officials from the erstwhile Nalgonda districts, Uttam said the SLBC project was expected to deliver more than 30 TMC of water to the drought-prone upland areas.
He directed officials and the contractor to maintain strict safety standards while accelerating excavation to meet the June 2028 water-delivery target.
The 43.968-km main tunnel is around 79 per cent complete, with about 9.1 km of excavation remaining. The project team has advanced around 700 metres in the last five to six months, including 450 metres from the outlet and 250 metres from the inlet, despite difficult geological conditions.
Tunnel operations expert Col. Parikshit Mehra said unstable ground, rock bursts and the earlier tunnel-boring machine blockage had slowed excavation. The team used seamless pipes, reinforced ribs, staged excavation and other safety measures to negotiate the difficult stretch.
The combined excavation rate has reached around eight metres a day, with a sustained average of 7–7.5 metres. Additional drilling equipment, electric loaders and advanced excavators are being deployed, while a locomotive ordered from Germany is expected by the end of October to improve the removal of excavated material.
Uttam said the construction cycle had been reduced from around 48 hours to 20–24 hours and could be brought down further to about 10 hours with improved equipment and material transportation.
He expressed hope that the breakthrough in Tunnel 1 would be achieved by May–June 2028 and directed officials to complete Tunnel 2, the balancing reservoir and other associated works simultaneously to ensure timely water delivery, according to an official statement.
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Tags: #SLBC tunnel project crosses major geological hurdle# breakthrough targeted by June 2028: Uttam
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