According to a member of a panel of experts investigating the recent tunnel collapse in the Indian Himalayas, the tunnel, which trapped 41 workers, was not equipped with an emergency exit and was built through a geological fault. The collapse occurred 12 days ago, and rescuers are still struggling to reach the construction workers. The men, who hail from some of India’s poorest states, have been receiving food, water and medicine through a pipe.
Following the disaster, the government tasked a group of experts with investigating the tunnel’s construction in Uttarakhand state and making recommendations for the future. Preliminary findings suggest that the collapse may have been caused by a geological fault, known as a “shear zone”. Furthermore, the tunnel did not have an escape passage, despite government guidelines recommending emergency exits for tunnels longer than 1.5 km.
The panel member indicated that detailed investigations will be conducted once the rescue operations are complete in order to identify construction loopholes. The tunnel was being constructed by the state-run National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, which falls under India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. However, the ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
It was revealed on Wednesday that the government had ordered the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to audit 29 tunnels being constructed across India. NHAI member Vishal Chauhan emphasized the unpredictability of Himalayan geology and the use of advanced technology to find solutions to such obstacles.
The tunnel was being built as part of a larger project called the Char Dham project, which aims to connect four important Hindu pilgrimage sites in north India through 890km of two-lane road. This project, one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, has faced criticism from environmental experts after hundreds of houses were damaged by subsidence along the routes.
A report by a Supreme Court-appointed expert committee in July 2020 highlighted the improper assessment of the project’s impact before construction began. Environmentalist Hemant Dhyani, who was a member of this committee, expressed the need for the investigating panel to look into disaster management steps, precautions taken during blasting, and the construction and design of the tunnel. He also pointed out that the government ignored the committee’s recommendation to build a narrower tunnel, leading to increased blasting and a higher risk of collapse.
Dhyani added that more than 200 likely landslide locations have been created due to hill excavations, dumping of debris, and choking of water flow during the project. He suggested that the government take corrective measures to address these lapses.
(Reporting by Manoj Kumar; Editing by YP Rajesh and Andrew Heavens)
