Our Crumbling Highway!

Kashmir’s lifeline, the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, is crumbling! The spike in landslides on the highway must set alarm bells ringing. Why are mountains crumbing? In it natural or manmade? Are these indicators of serious damage to eco-system of the mountainous Banihal-Udhampur stretch of the highway?

It was after a fortnight that the 250 km Srinagar-Jammu National Highway reopened after following massive landslides at multiple locations. It was horrific to see the entire road stretch of the highway near Tharad-Zakheni stretch buried under debris of hills earlier this month.

Srinagar-Jammu highway which is the all-weather surface link to Kashmir with rest of the country has been battered by frequent landslides. Recently the highway witnessed caving of roads at many places.

As per reports, the highway has remained closed for one and a half months every year on an average. The highway has remained closed for a cumulative 284 days in the last seven years. In 2019, Kashmir remained cut off for 54 days, while in 2020 it was closed for 47 days. In 2022, the highway was closed for 41 days and for 23 days in 2021. In 2023, the highway remained closed for 58 days, while this year till September, traffic has already been suspended for 26 days.

Looking beyond statistics, the implications of highway closure has knelt a death blow to the economic sectors. It leads to shortage of essential items in Kashmir besides hampering movement of tourists and people.

Kashmir’s orchardists also suffered massive losses as they could not transport apples due to highway closure. Though special trains were pressed into service to ferry apples, the damage was done. What adds to the woes of people is the steep rise in airfares during highway closures.

On April 22 this year, we witnessed how heavy rains caused by cloudbursts triggered massive landslides and flash floods burying a large stretch of Ramban area on the highway. The geomorphology of Banihal-Ramban stretch states that it is the most erosion prone of the highway due to presence of weathered rock mass on slopes, loose rock blocks and rock slide debris deposits.

Panthiyal area is also prone to landslides. To bypass landslide-prone spots, two tunnels were to be built from Ramban and Banihal.

National Highway Authority of India commissioned T5-T3 twin tube tunnels to bypass the vulnerable stretch. But following incessant rains, the temporary approach road to the tunnel collapsed many times. T4 tunnel is under construction and is designed to bypass Panthiyal and join T5-T3 tunnels. What triggers landslides is that the loose material gets saturated during rains.

Taking into account the fragility of the highway, Dogra rulers used carts on the road carved from mountains till 1947. Subsequently the Government of India launched various projects to develop the highway for heavy motor vehicles. The Jawahar Tunnel was constructed between 1954 and 1956 to develop an all-weather link to Kashmir valley. The twin-tube, 2.5-kilometer-long tunnel was named after India’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The highway was expanded gradually by cutting mountains. This further loosened the mountains and created a steep surface.

In 2022, twin tube 8.45 Km Banihal Qazigund Tunnel was constructed at cost of over Rs 3100 crore. The work on the tunnel started in 2011. The tunnel reduced the distance from Banihal to Qazigund by 16 kilometres. Positives apart, these developments led to massive increase in vehicular movement on the highway.

When we disturb nature, we have to pay its ecological cost! Environmentalists have been warning that blasting, drilling and continuous excavation of slopes for road widening of the highway will trigger frequent landslides. There should have been Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and landslide mapping before execution of any construction work on the highway.

Experts have found many loopholes in construction works along the highway. They maintain that the authorities must consider Geomorphology of the area before executing works. They stress undertaking tests showing soil nature and substrata, location of ground water table, sampling of disturbed and undisturbed soil, Sieve analysis and hydrometer analysis besides gradation, consistency limits besides natural bulk density and moisture content strength. Bearing capacity of soil, cone penetration test and soil electrical resistivity test.

There is a dire need to reduce load of vehicular movement on the highway. Government must fully develop alternative routes Mughal Road, Dessa-Kapran and Sinthan Top routes. Commissioned in 2009, The 84 km Mughal Road connecting Kashmir with Poonch district of Jammu can be fully developed to serve as an alternative to Srinagar-Jammu Highway. Mughal Road is the oldest route of J&K having historical significance, however, it has been marred by closures due to heavy snowfall and adverse weather conditions. Mughal Road is less prone to landslides and can become an all weather road and remain open round the year if a tunnel is constructed. There is a proposal to construct a 7 km tunnel between Zaznar and Chathapani. The stretch is the only area prone to landslides on the Mughal Road.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have been showing strong concern over highway closures and even went to spots many times to review the situation. LG Sinha visited Tharad village in Udhampur district and reviewed the ongoing restoration work along the highway. CM Omar Abdullah too visited the spot and called for long term solutions to prevent highway closure.

Scientific interventions are necessary to ascertain causes of landslides and formulate mitigation measures. Government must not undertake construction works on the highway without EIA. Let’s undertake sustainable development of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, lets not choke Kashmir’s lifeline, the jugular vein!

Author is Executive Editor,

Greater Kashmir.