Uttarakhand: Why is this startling warning of an Indian tunnel collapse?

 Uttarakhand: Why is this startling warning of an Indian tunnel collapse?

This is the "most difficult" tunnel rescue operation that Arnold Dix has ever come across, as he puts it.

Mr. Dix, an underground specialist from Australia who was brought in as a consultant by the Indian government, is spending days and nights outside a road tunnel that is still under construction in Uttarakhand, where 41 laborers have been stuck for more than two weeks.

The Silkyara Tunnel connects important Hindu pilgrimage destinations in the Himalayan state by two-lane metalled highways as part of the $1.5 billion (£1.19 billion) showpiece Char Dham project, which spans 890 km. The primary drilling equipment broke down, which was one of the many obstacles in the way of attempts to use a crawl-out pipe to remove the 60-meter barrier and construct an escape path for the trapped personnel.

For more than simply technical grounds, I believe that this is the toughest [procedure]. The great danger makes it difficult. Mr. Dix informed me that "we have to make sure that everyone inside comes out okay and that no one is injured."

Mr. Dix thinks things may get complex. There are issues with even the simple plan of boring the tunnel from above using a vertical drill or pipe. Given how youthful and dynamic the mountain terrain is, instability is a problem. Potential water sources above the tunnel provide a risk; tampering with them might result in floods and put trapped passengers and rescue personnel in peril.

"Since the start of tunnel motoring, the geological conditions are more challenging than projected in the tender document," said Bernard Gruppe, the German-Austrian technical firm hired by the Indian company constructing the tunnel, in August. Why the "escape route" that was permitted for the tunnel in 2018 had not been constructed by the time of the tunnel collapse is unknown.

It's essential to comprehend the problem' geographic context—the Himalayas—in order to gauge its scope.

The world's youngest mountain range, the Himalayas are home to the tallest peaks and were created around 45 million years ago when two continental plates collided and folded. It is an earthquake-prone area because to the Himalayas' northward rise and associated seismic activity.

According to geologists, phyllite, shale, limestone, and quartzite are just a few of the sedimentary rocks that can be found in the northern Himalayas, which is home to Uttarakhand. These rocks were produced when loose sediments on the surface of the Earth were compressed and linked together.

"The variety of rocks in this location, each with varying strengths, is a challenge. While some are considerably firmer, others are quite soft. The softer stones break apart. Because of this, the region is naturally unstable, noted geologist CP Rajendran said. informed me.

In order to comprehend this, one must grasp the region's greater importance, which spans four districts in Uttarakhand and is home to the Char Dham project.

More than 600 million Indians get their food and water from this area, which is the source of the Ganga and its main tributaries. There are water springs, glaciers, and woods all throughout the place. Significantly, this area affects India's climate because of its topsoil, which naturally absorbs and stores carbon dioxide to lessen the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.

This is where the Char Dham Highway project intends to enlarge the current roads into double-lane paved shoulders. The project will also include over 100 small bridges, 15 flyovers, 16 bypasses, realignments, and tunnels.

There are two primary road tunnels in the project: the 400-meter-long Chamba tunnel and the Silkyara Tunnel. A dozen tunnels spanning 110 km (68 mi) are being excavated for a 125 km railway connection, among other tunnels being created for hydropower and railroads. Then there are the tunnels for all the hydroelectric projects. 33 of these state-run hydropower projects are now operational, and 14 more are under construction, according to government documentation.

According to environmentalist Hemant Dhyani, "tunnel work has accelerated in the last 15-20 years." "These mountains are not designed for this kind of extensive infrastructure development."

Over 1,000 landslides have occurred in Uttarakhand so far this year, killing over 48 people, most of them as a result of heavy monsoon rains, according to government statistics. In the tiny town of Joshimath, in the state, multiple roads and hundreds of homes had fractures earlier this year. According to research, the Himalayas' topsoil degradation is happening three times faster than the country as a whole, which lowers the area's capacity to store carbon. Devastating floods brought on by intense monsoon rains struck Kedarnath in 2013, washing hundreds of people away.

Mr. Dhyani, a former member of the expert group designated by the Supreme Court, claims that since the committee's recommendation to construct a small tunnel was disregarded, there is now a higher danger of collapse and more blasting activity. The belief is that environmental risk evaluations were overlooked since the project was divided into pieces less than 100 km, which exempted the tunnels.

There are opposing viewpoints as well. Expert in subterranean construction Manoj Garnayak told a newspaper that well-executed tunnels do not damage mountains or their ecosystem. According to him, the almost 200-year-old practice of tunneling is not intrinsically hazardous; rather, its correct use requires a careful assessment of the rock's hardness and fragility.

Environmentalists, such as Mr. Dhyani, are proponents of a "terrain-specific approach" to tunnel building, highlighting the unpredictability of geology in various regions. Being "disaster and climate-resilient" should be a top priority while developing infrastructure in the Himalayas. Furthermore, he adds that in order to develop stronger rules for ecologically sensitive pilgrimage sites, authorities should collaborate with a broad spectrum of stakeholders.

Officials now admit that "technical glitches, challenging Himalayan terrain and unexpected emergencies" might cause changes to the scheduled timetable for the rescue of the 41 individuals. This decreased the sometimes snow-affected portion from 25.6 km to 4.5 km and the travel time from the current 50 minutes to only five minutes, which is remarkable for a road that was intended to offer all-weather access.

Ironically, it's turning out to be a nightmare to wait for help to arrive when workers get stuck during road construction. Mr. Dhyani declares, "This is a serious warning to all of us."