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The Silkyara tunnel collapse in Uttarkashi has put the s p o t l i g h t o n Himachal Pradesh as geologists and environmentalists are calling for thorough geotechnical investigations before such projects are undertaken in the mountains. Of the 14 tunnels proposed on the Kiratpur-Manali highway, seven are under-construction while work on the rest has already been completed by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
In the wake of the Uttarakhand incident, the NHAI has already ordered a safety audit of all its under-construction tunnels in the country, including in Himachal. “What makes tunnels seem unsafe is the way these have been constructed. Before building tunnels or roads, solid geotechnical investigations, which can take even years to complete, are required. But what NHAI does in the name of geological studies, is to conduct Environment Impact Assessment), which is sometimes completed in three to four months,” said R Sreedhar, a Delhi-based noted geologist who has done research work in Himachal. Sreedhar said the NHAI seemed to be an agency in a hurry. “If you have done your homework properly then there is no such thing called geological surprises, which is a misleading term often blamed for the mishappenings. If a proper geological study is done before deciding on tunnelling or cutting a hill, we would not have a repeat of such collapses,” said Sreedhar.
Calling for accountability, he added, “The NHAI has been expanding roads without any vision. The hurried pace at which it is going seems to indicate that conquering nature is its only driving force. The fact that there is no accountability for the consequences of its actions, it does whatever it wishes to by ignoring all environmental and geological norms.” According to Om Bhargava, eminent geologist and former director of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), handing over geological studies to unprofessional agencies or incompetent geologists results in faulty investigations. “In our time, only the GSI used to conduct studies for all important projects, including roads and dams. Once the GSI had assigned a team of geologists to carry out a survey, they would spend months, even years on the spot investigating a terrain. But I guess, the times have changed and even the concept of a permanent resident geologist is also over,” he said.
Bhargava said the most important thing is the examination of the terrain before a decision is taken on constructing a tunnel. “It’s important to know in advance whether a particular terrain is on a fault line or in a high seismic zone. We must also know how the rock structure and the soil would respond to drilling or blasting for a tunnel. This is why a geological survey by a competent geologist is a must for tunnels as well as roads,” he added.
Arundeep Ahluwalia, a geologist who retired from the Panjab University, Chandigarh, said that greater accountability would bring in increased safety. “There is nothing wrong with the science of tunnelling, provided utmost precautions are taken before giving a go ahead to such projects and global standards are maintained during construction. There has to be a proper geological survey, but these days road contractors get the studies done themselves. If we fix accountability for all such mishappenings then we might see proper procedures being followed by contractors building tunnels or roads,” said Ahluwalia.
According to Guman Singh, a Kullu-based environmentalist, the government must shift its focus from widening the roads to building more alternate smaller roads. “The government must shift its focus from widening the roads to building smaller alternate roads. Two smaller roads to one destination are better than one bigger road. If we have smaller roads, we won’t need tunnels. These wider roads and the tunnels are harming the Himalayas and the consequences of which will have to be borne by everybody one day,” said Singh. “Now that the NHAI has already built so many tunnels in Himachal, its first priority must now be the safety of people. There must be evacuation plans in place for all the tunnels,” he added.
In the wake of the Uttarakhand incident, the NHAI has already ordered a safety audit of all its under-construction tunnels in the country, including in Himachal. “What makes tunnels seem unsafe is the way these have been constructed. Before building tunnels or roads, solid geotechnical investigations, which can take even years to complete, are required. But what NHAI does in the name of geological studies, is to conduct Environment Impact Assessment), which is sometimes completed in three to four months,” said R Sreedhar, a Delhi-based noted geologist who has done research work in Himachal. Sreedhar said the NHAI seemed to be an agency in a hurry. “If you have done your homework properly then there is no such thing called geological surprises, which is a misleading term often blamed for the mishappenings. If a proper geological study is done before deciding on tunnelling or cutting a hill, we would not have a repeat of such collapses,” said Sreedhar.
Calling for accountability, he added, “The NHAI has been expanding roads without any vision. The hurried pace at which it is going seems to indicate that conquering nature is its only driving force. The fact that there is no accountability for the consequences of its actions, it does whatever it wishes to by ignoring all environmental and geological norms.” According to Om Bhargava, eminent geologist and former director of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), handing over geological studies to unprofessional agencies or incompetent geologists results in faulty investigations. “In our time, only the GSI used to conduct studies for all important projects, including roads and dams. Once the GSI had assigned a team of geologists to carry out a survey, they would spend months, even years on the spot investigating a terrain. But I guess, the times have changed and even the concept of a permanent resident geologist is also over,” he said.
Bhargava said the most important thing is the examination of the terrain before a decision is taken on constructing a tunnel. “It’s important to know in advance whether a particular terrain is on a fault line or in a high seismic zone. We must also know how the rock structure and the soil would respond to drilling or blasting for a tunnel. This is why a geological survey by a competent geologist is a must for tunnels as well as roads,” he added.
Arundeep Ahluwalia, a geologist who retired from the Panjab University, Chandigarh, said that greater accountability would bring in increased safety. “There is nothing wrong with the science of tunnelling, provided utmost precautions are taken before giving a go ahead to such projects and global standards are maintained during construction. There has to be a proper geological survey, but these days road contractors get the studies done themselves. If we fix accountability for all such mishappenings then we might see proper procedures being followed by contractors building tunnels or roads,” said Ahluwalia.
According to Guman Singh, a Kullu-based environmentalist, the government must shift its focus from widening the roads to building more alternate smaller roads. “The government must shift its focus from widening the roads to building smaller alternate roads. Two smaller roads to one destination are better than one bigger road. If we have smaller roads, we won’t need tunnels. These wider roads and the tunnels are harming the Himalayas and the consequences of which will have to be borne by everybody one day,” said Singh. “Now that the NHAI has already built so many tunnels in Himachal, its first priority must now be the safety of people. There must be evacuation plans in place for all the tunnels,” he added.
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