Rushed green nod, poor planning in focus as rains wash away hill roads

As rains wreak havoc in several parts of north India, dozens of national highways and bridges in the country’s hilly states have been either partly or completely washed away. Himachal Pradesh has been the worst hit. There even newly constructed national highways were washed away in a few minutes by the Beas river, which is flowing above the danger mark.

“Due to an unprecedented increase in water levels because of floods and opening of all gates of the Pandoh dam, the Beas river has overtopped the national highway at Dwada between Pandoh and Takoli and a landslide has also occurred near the Jalogi tunnel,” the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said on Monday.

According to NHAI, the Kullu-Manali section of NH-03 has been damaged at many locations due to heavy rainfall and flooding in the Beas river, and restoration work is yet to be carried out due to the sensitive flood situation.

While travellers have been advised to refrain from any trips to the hilly region, Union road transport & highways minister Nitin Gadkari is monitoring the situation in New Delhi.

Many other rivers in Himachal Pradesh have also crossed danger levels, mounting concern among citizens and experts in Himachal Pradesh and other northern Indian states witnessing rain-trigged infrastructure collapse, especially of roads and highways. 

Shimla until 2 pm on Monday had received 47 mm of rainfall.

With many of these roads constructed as “all-weather”, Indian hill roads and national highways have failed to withstand inclement weather time and again. Experts flag rushed environmental clearances and unsustainable construction practices as prime reasons.

All-weather roads are those which can handle traffic throughout the year, as the construction and materials used can withstand extreme weather conditions, such as heavy monsoon rainfall. Their drainage systems are designed to handle excess water without weakening the roadbed or requiring immediate maintenance.

According to experts, poorly designed drainage systems of highways are one of the leading causes of the weakening of the roadbed and increasing landslides in recent times, along with improper slope stabilisation techniques. Moreover, removing vegetation cover increases the risk of soil erosion and landslides, which can directly impact the stability of roads and highways in hills, they said, adding that substandard construction practices, such as using poor-quality materials or inadequate compaction of the roadbed, can compromise the structural integrity of roads.
 

“Among the factors contributing to these concerns is the common practice of awarding contracts based on the L1 (lowest bidder) tender system. This system, which places a strong emphasis on cost, has the potential to affect construction standards and material choices. Contractors may face pressure to prioritise affordability, potentially leading to compromises that can undermine the integrity and safety of the infrastructure,” said Vikramjiet Roy, managing director, Maccaferri (India), a firm working in sustainable construction solutions. “The L1 tender system often overlooks factors, such as experience and track record, which are crucial for ensuring the delivery of high-quality infrastructure projects.”

Another major concern, according to experts, is the way these projects are awarded.

Sector watchers said that several road projects in hilly areas have significant technical thresholds, which can be reached largely by experienced players. Joint ventures, however, allow them to remain silent partners, while inexperienced contractors carry out construction, which may lead to dangerous deficiencies, they pointed out.

According to climate experts, extreme rainfall is a result of climate change. Last week, the global temperature was the highest ever in recorded history. “We all know that both global surface and ocean temperatures have been increasing, resulting in more evaporation. This has aggravated rainfall manifold. Indo-Gangetic plains have been receiving lots of moisture from the Bay of Bengal, as well as from the Arabian Sea. This continuous supply of moisture feed to the weather systems, leading to increased rainfall, which also results in extreme weather events,” said Krishnan Raghavan, scientist-G, director, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM).

The last IPCC Report -- Weather and Climate Extreme Events in a Changing Climate -- already warned that summer and monsoon precipitation will increase and become relatively frequent. The Indian sub-continent would witness a 20 per cent surge in extreme rainfall events. The projections suggested that rainfall would become incessant and erratic leading to floods, depressions would intensify into deep depressions, and cyclonic events would become more frequent across the eastern and western coasts.

According to Roy, climate change projections should become an essential part of project planning in hilly terrains. “NHAI should prioritise resilience and sustainability, integrating climate change projections and environmentally friendly practices. Enhanced quality control, on-site supervision, and capacity building programmes can ensure adherence to design specifications and promote technical expertise,” he said.

Not only NHAI, other agencies are also on alert. SJVN, which is a hydropower generator and primary operator in Himachal Pradesh, has initiated a review of its under-construction Luhri Stage -I, Sunni Dam hydroelectric project (HEP), Dhaulasidh HEP (in Himachal Pradesh), and 60 Mw Naitwar Mori HEP (in Uttarakhand). These are the projects where the levels of rivers have increased manifold, said the company in a public statement. SJVN has also decided to form a ‘high-level committee’ to closely monitor the situation in the areas around its projects.

(With inputs from Sanjeeb Mukherjee)