Sikkim serves a warning, govts must heed now
The rise in extreme weather events should prod the government to rehaul its management of all mountain approaches
Long before Joshimath’s sinking and the recent flash floods in Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand that washed away swathes of highways, it was evident that most of our hill towns too had sunk — albeit, in a different way. They were congested, and over-constructed, and the management of their surrounding environment was neglected.
The evidence can be seen on the approaches to hill stations, with traffic jams on roads, piles of debris and shops cantilevered randomly on both sides. Forget their carrying capacity, it is critical to consider what can be done to better manage approaches to hill stations. In light of Joshimath’s subsidence and the Kullu-Manali landslides, it is particularly imperative to safeguard capital-intensive projects such as the Char Dham highway that cost thousands of crores and are expected to carry millions of pilgrims and hundreds of thousands of vehicles.
For starters, a new mountain highway is an outright environmental hazard. Old trees that bind the soil are uprooted, and drilling and blasting are done, generating debris, which cascades down the slopes. Notwithstanding the debate on whether a road should be widened beyond 5.5 metres or not because of the fragility of the Himalayas, it is necessary to underline the criticality of suitable land-use planning, soil conservation and effective highway management. Once the road is operationalised, there will be an unprecedented, even overwhelming surge of continuous vehicular traffic, making it impossible to retrofit and redress the situation.
There are several key measures that should become part of the government’s management agenda for all mountain approaches.
First, the government should (in consultation with the respective state government) freeze land use on both sides of mountain highways till their master-planning is done with the assistance of town planners/architects. This is essential because the moment an alignment is declared, there is a frenzied attempt to plan shops, restaurants, dhabas and hoardings along the highway in a random manner.
Political populism at the municipal and state levels invariably means administrators come under pressure from private business interests seeking to leverage land commercially. Structures get built directly abutting into the highway — to reap the advantage of frontal access. That causes traffic pile-ups and environmental damage.
Second, there should be an entire programme to stabilise the hills above the area demarcated for the road, not just the road itself. When the base has been carved out vertically for the actual alignment, both the upper and the lower levels get disturbed. This causes soil-binding plants and dressing to get dislodged, increasing the frequency of landslides. In the long run, this results in the impact of heavy rainfall being more deleterious, causing parts of the road to get washed away. Technical specifications too need to be strengthened.
Third, particularly where the highway intersects urban centres and habitations, it is necessary to segregate the highway traffic from the city traffic and to control land use to a depth of 20-30 metres on both sides. Elevated corridors, service lanes and slip roads need to be planned and created to prevent a smooth flow of traffic.
Fourth, it is necessary to master-plan and earmark designated points for wayside amenities – restaurants, toilets, car repairs and other auxiliary services — even if it means compulsorily acquiring private land at a premium. Shops and related utilities should be prohibited at points other than at designated nodes; vehicles should not be allowed to stop at any other point. Kalka-Shimla and Dehradun-Mussoorie roads are glaring case studies: brimming with shops, one after the other, jutting precariously into the valley, they are symbols of abject access surrender, poor traffic management and environmental impairment apart from obstructing a panoramic view of the hills.
Fifth, a comprehensive runoff-characteristics mapping of the mountain area should be done by studying 20 years of historical data to plan against water-logging, rapid soil erosion, and flash floods that can damage the road. Concrete surfacing of vulnerable road sections and drains should be undertaken to ensure they remain impervious. Likewise, rigorous landslide mapping of the area will help while undertaking special buttressing of sensitive hill sections with retaining walls, gabion structures, technical-textile mesh technologies and hydro-seeding of relevant slopes to stabilise them.
Sixth, noise mapping should be undertaken in view of adjoining ecologically sensitive/wildlife hotspots. It is important to impose a standard operating procedure for commuters to prevent blaring horns/music volumes, and to regulate vehicle speed not only to prevent accidents and pedestrian safety but to mitigate undue stress to the natural environment.
Seventh, an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) should be put in place for traffic management along with a robust Passenger Information System (PIS) — only a limited number of vehicles should be allowed at any time along vulnerable sections of the highway to prevent pile-ups and jams, especially during environmentally delicate periods. Even the tiniest of landslides can create panic — sudden reversing/jamming of cars can cause their collision and toppling over the hill.
Eighth, a fully equipped disaster management team and highway patrol should be in place (with tow-vans, JCBs, rescue teams and walkie-talkies), ready 24X7, to evacuate/redress chokes and accidents and remove debris in the light of the disaster-prone nature of the rock formations. This should include technicians for instantly repairing the highway–to redress geometric deficiencies, faults in electric fittings/crash-barriers/signages — in a prompt manner. They should work on the principle, repair first, and recover costs later.
Ninth, decarbonise mountain transport in the context of the climate crisis strategies by incentivising electric vehicles (exempt them from tolls for the first two years). Create suitable charging infrastructure. A special Sustainable Development Tax (SDT as done in Bhutan) can be levied on hill station visitors. Diesel/petrol vehicles (including two and three wheelers) should be charged higher SDT as per the polluter-pays principle. Shadow tolling of government/military vehicles should be done to keep a record of their carbon footprint.
Tenth, for major mountain highways, it would be wise to establish an Environment Protection and Safety Management Company. Verticals should inter-alia include risk and emergency management, ITS, afforestation and access control functions. A predetermined percentage of toll revenues, SDT and other penal levies should be mandated to fund this company to make it sustainable.
Keeping in view the intense pressure of tourists/pilgrims and the exceptionally delicate Himalayan geomorphology, it is of vital importance that not only hill stations but their approaches too, be better managed. The aforesaid measures for abatement and mitigation can ensure that the cost to the natural environment is minimised. Apart from the positive experiential benefits by way of tourist safety, visual amenities and aesthetic appeal, this will be a boost for responsible tourism.
Raghav Chandra is a former secretary, Government of India and ex-chairman of the National Highways Authority of India. The views expressed are personal
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