Qualified as a counselor and a scientist, Arnold Dix is a lawman registered as Barrister of the High Court of Australia. His path led him to engineering and underground construction world.
New Delhi: Rescue efforts for the 41 workers trapped in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel entered Day 13 today and to get these men out of this dire condition, international tunnelling expert Arnold Dix has been roped in. The labourers get trapped as portions of the Silkyara-Dandalgaon under-construction tunnel on the Brahmkhal-Yamunotri highway collapse following a landslide at around 5.30 am on the day of Diwali on November 12.
The mishap left domestic rescue agencies such as SDRF, BRO, and NDRF helpless, as a 50-meter-long layer of rock-hard debris blocked access to the trapped workers who were digging the Char Dham Yatra tunnel for Navayuga Engineering Construction Limited (NECL).
The men have about 2km of space where they have been trapped in the tunnel, which is 13 metres wide and 15 metres high. They are warm and have light, and have been kitted out with the essentials — oxygen, food, water and medicines — via a pipe.
Rescuers, including Professor Dix, have been battling to pull out the men stuck in the 4.5-kilometre tunnel in the mountainous Uttarakhand state since it caved in early on November 12.
Who is Arnold Dix?
Arnold Dix is the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association president. He’s a recipient of the 2011 Alan Neyland Australasian Tunnelling Society bi-annual award for excellence in tunnelling. His efforts in enhancing fire safety in tunnels have been recognised as groundbreaking.
In 2022, he was honoured with a Committee Service Award by the National Fire Protection Association of the United States of America, a testament to his continuous and valuable service in developing codes and standards for tunnel safety.
He has expertise in several complex areas: legal, political, ethical and technical risks and also environmental risks related to underground construction.
Uttarkashi: International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association president Arnold Dix near the site after a portion of an under-construction tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway collapsed, in Uttarkashi district, Monday, Nov. 20, 2023. (PTI Photo)
Qualified as a counselor and a scientist, Arnold Dix is a lawman registered as Barrister of the High Court of Australia. His path led him to engineering and underground construction world with multiple subtopics such as environment, science, law, ethics, security, climatic changes and managing of disasters.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Arnold completed his schooling from Haileybury, in the UK. He graduated from Monash University, Australia in combined geotechnical and engineering sciences with legal professional and corporate law law.
He has been associated with projects such as City Metro Upgrade for Australia’s Sydney, NFPA Standard 130 – Fixed Guideway Transit and Passenger Rail Systems, and High Rise House Fire Rescue in Britain.
In the wake of the tunnel collapse, Dix emphasised the importance of meticulous planning and safety, stating that the current situation seems promising but requires careful evaluation to avoid further risks. His approach underlines the need for thorough analysis and consideration of all aspects of such critical operations
Drilling halted after auger machine platform collapses
Meanwhile, the rescue operation has been halted after the platform supporting the auger machine which is drilling through the debris collapsed on Thursday evening. Girish Singh Rawat, one of the members of the rescue operation team, said: “Drilling cannot be done until the platform is ready. It may take five to six hours to get the platform ready.”
“So far, around 45 meters of drilling has been completed and about 10 to 12 meters of drilling work is left. As soon as the drilling is completed, the workers trapped in the tunnel will be rescued and will be taken to a hospital,” he added.