# Are India’s New Himalayan Tunnels Too Risky? ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky.webp]] **Creator:** The B1M · **Published:** 2025-12-08 · **Length:** 13:41 · [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI7qaAP3huo) > Caption source: YouTube **manual English (UK)** captions (`en-GB`), downloaded with **yt-dlp** on the first attempt with the default client. The track reads like the edited script plus verbatim interview clips and covers the whole video, including the closing Get Construction Talking plug. It has a few rough spots: "I I got a call" (3:12), "a team assessing coming from the back" (4:02, probably "accessing"), "free everyone in sight" (4:30, probably "inside"), "walking towards where the but while the collapse is still occurring" (7:38, garbled), "Rotang Pass" for Rohtang Pass (8:13), "Ladakh and the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir" (9:08; the article has "the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir") and "Mega Engineering" for Megha Engineering (10:06). TubeAlfred was not used (0 credits). **Companion article:** [The World's Most Dangerous Tunnel](https://www.theb1m.com/video/india-himalayas-tunnels) on theb1m.com (the page's own headline; the URL slug is india-himalayas-tunnels), by **Adam Savage** (08 December 2025; "Video hosted by Fred Mills."). It follows the script almost word for word under its own headings (Gods' country, The right man for the job, Near miss, Could have been avoided, Proof it can be done, The ultimate shortcut, Light at the end) and attributes the interview quotes to Dix. Its photo captions add that the near-miss rail tunnel belongs to the **Rishikesh-Karnaprayag rail project** (TBM image courtesy of **Herrenknecht**), that the Atal Tunnel was built above 10,000 ft and that the Zojila Tunnel will be 13 km long (image courtesy of Megha Engineering + Infrastructures Ltd.). It leaves out the opening news clips, the rescue diagrams and the closing Get Construction Talking plug. Names and figures were cross-checked with The Hindu on the [Silkyara breakthrough](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/uttarakhand/uttarakhands-silkyara-tunnel-achieves-breakthrough/article69457058.ece), Larsen & Toubro's [Tunnel 8 release](https://www.larsentoubro.com/pressreleases/2025-04-21-lt-achieves-breakthrough-in-india-s-longest-rail-tunnel-on-rishikesh-karnaprayag-rail-line), reporting on the Zojila deadline ([Hindustan Times, Aug 2025](https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/zojila-tunnel-completion-delayed-by-over-2-years-nitin-gadkari-tells-lok-sabha-101754079598878.html); [The Hindu, 2023](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/zojila-tunnel-construction-40-work-over-terrain-weather-challenges-push-completion-deadline-to-2030/article67138202.ece)), [NHIDCL](https://www.nhidcl.com/en/blog/zojila-tunnel-gateway-ladakhs-prosperity), [MEIL](https://meil.in/zojila-tunnel-breakthrough-meil-group-creates-history-himalayas) and the Ministry of Defence's [Atal Tunnel brief](https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2022/mar/doc202232428801.pdf). Dated details are flagged "Not in the video" below. YouTube chapters are used as section headings and line up with the captions. Screenshots come from the 720p stream (format 136). Host: **Fred Mills** (per the companion). Interviewee: **Professor Arnold Dix** (on a video call; no on-screen name caption in the frames checked). Paid promotion: **none**; the only plugs are The B1M's own **Get Construction Talking** initiative and *The World's Best Construction Podcast* (on-screen card around 0:58 and in the description). Additional footage and images (from the description): Megha Engineering + Infrastructures Ltd., ABC7, BBC News, Buddy Sagar, CNN News-18, CTV News, Ex Route Adventures, Herrenknecht, Hindustan Times, India Today, Jatin Chaudhary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India, NEWS9, Shubam Bhasin, The Economic Times, Utkarsh Modgil, Vijay Kothare, Vikash Singh and WION. On-screen material includes news headlines (*The Times of India*: "Agencies blamed for negligence for Silkyara tunnel collapse"; *NDTV*: "On Day 5 Of Tunnel Rescue Op, Auger Drill Flown In From Delhi Gets To Work"), a *Tunnel* magazine page on Dix's election as ITA president, CCTV of the trapped workers, animated diagrams of the rescue options and shear zones, maps of Uttarakhand, the Char Dham network and Ladakh, and a New Austrian Tunnelling Method graphic. ## Outline ### 0:00 Intro - **0:00** In late 2023 a new road tunnel under construction in the **Indian Himalayas** collapsed, trapping **41 workers** for more than **two weeks** and setting off one of the most intense rescue operations in recent history. - **0:15** It was a "huge wake-up call", and the investigation found **multiple failings**. Two years later, a **rail tunnel** in the same region also came close to tragedy when it broke through. - **0:29** From ignoring warning signs to inadequate surveys, India's attempts to build through "the world's biggest mountain range" have at times been extremely dangerous. - **0:41** Now the country has begun "an even greater challenge — its **longest ever tunnel**. And once again, they've decided to build it here." ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0003.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0022.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0044.webp]] ### 0:55 Land of the Gods - **0:55** The **Himalayas**, the highest and newest mountain range on Earth, but this is not Nepal, Tibet or Bhutan: it's **Uttarakhand** in India, known as the **Land of the Gods**. - **1:13** It is home to the **Chota Char Dham**, a series of Hindu temples and pilgrimage sites visited by **millions of pilgrims** every year. - **1:27** The existing roads are narrow and single-lane, can become impassable in **winter** and the **monsoon**, and **more than half** the state is at high risk of **landslides**. - **1:38** So a **900 km highway project** is upgrading the routes with **two-lane highways** and **tunnels** through the worst spots, for shorter, safer trips. - **1:56** Important to the region and to Hindus across India, but not usually global news, until **12 November 2023**, when the world's eyes turned to a remote spot about **100 miles** from the state capital. ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0068.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0078.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0100.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0122.webp]] ### 2:14 Tunnel Collapse - **2:14** News clips: the race to rescue workers "stuck since Sunday morning"; efforts ramp up to get **41 people** out of a collapsed mountain tunnel. - **2:27** A **4.5 km** tunnel on the project caved in without warning while dozens of workers were inside. - **2:40** The collapse happened **270 m** from the southern entrance at **Silkyara**, and because the tunnel had not yet been joined in the middle, the only escape route was blocked. - **2:52** Their one connection to the outside world was a tiny **emergency tunnel** that carried **air, food, medical supplies and water**. - **3:01** An international expert was called in: **Professor Arnold Dix**, then president of the **International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association** (ITA). - **3:12** Dix: "I got a call from the **chief engineer of India on WhatsApp**... the next minute I was talking to the **principal advisor to the Prime Minister of India**... and then they just asked me if I could pop over and give them a hand." ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0142.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0160.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0178.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0192.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0205.webp]] ### 3:38 The Rescue - **3:38** After Dix assessed the site, a rescue plan took shape. An **auger machine**, "basically a big drill", was brought in to dig an escape route, but several methods ran **simultaneously** to improve the odds. - **3:56** Dix: a **vertical drill** from the surface ("like pushing a pin down through the mountain"), a team coming from the **back** of the tunnel, a team launching a **TBM from the side**, and a "very old-fashioned... **mining solution**, hugging the side of the tunnel and bracing it". "And we ran all of them concurrently." - **4:18** In the end the auger got them out, "sort of": it **broke down** just before reaching the target, so a group of **miners** dug the rest of the way with **manual drills**. After **17 terrifying days** everyone was freed. - **4:36** No one was seriously hurt, but it was a real **warning sign**, and not the first. - **4:46** Around **200 km to the southeast**, a **rail tunnel** in the same state broke through in **April 2025**, but only after serious complications. - **5:02** When its **TBM** reached the **5 km** point, about a third of the way through, there was a sudden **gush of water**. According to the project director the tunnel was at risk of **flooding or collapsing**, but corrective measures saved it. ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0228.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0265.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0305.webp]] ### 5:17 Natural Hazards - **5:17** Is it a coincidence that two tunnels so close together collapsed or nearly did? "Probably not": tunnelling in these mountains is exceptionally challenging. - **5:33** First, **shear zones** are everywhere: areas of highest strain in the rock caused by **tectonic activity**. Tunnelling through them can cause instability, **water or mud ingress** and even collapse. - **5:51** Second, rock **hardness varies** greatly and it's not always possible to know what's coming. - **6:01** Dix, holding a piece of rock from the collapse: "Even here sitting at my desk, it's **very soft**. It's **old seabed** raised up thousands of metres into the air, getting pushed up very rapidly... You have to be **reactive**." - **6:24** Third, materials **change with depth**. Dix: rocks on the surface "are actually behaving like a quite a different substance altogether" deep in a mountain. "I attribute the mountains with a sense of life... they move and they **squeeze** and they misbehave." ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0335.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0360.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0395.webp]] ### 6:59 Human Error - **6:59** Earthquakes, floods and landslides would make this a tough job for anyone, but some presumed causes of the collapse were **man-made**. - **7:07** One **engineering geologist** found evidence of **poor workmanship** and a lax approach to tunnelling practices; an **official report** found **deformations** were not properly addressed and the **contractor** neglected earlier issues. - **7:34** Dix, walking in from the portal after the collapse: "I count **21 prior collapses**. I can see the scars... this hasn't just happened out of the blue. There's something **systemic** wrong. No one's thought about changing the method... the profile... the support system. It was awful." ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0425.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0450.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0472.webp]] ### 8:06 Atal Tunnel - **8:06** Indian tunnellers have had successes too. The **9 km** road tunnel bypassing the notorious **Rohtang Pass**, the **Atal Tunnel**, sits at over **10,000 ft** and cuts travel between **Manali** and the **Lahaul and Spiti** valleys by **more than four hours**. - **8:32** Even so, it meant digging through a **fault zone**, with up to **8,000 litres of water a minute** entering the tunnel at times; one **600 m** stretch took **four years**. - **8:50** The scares haven't stopped India building more Himalayan tunnels: "quite the opposite". Further northwest, in a region "even more hostile for several reasons", there are **19 more projects** in the pipeline. - **9:08** That's **Ladakh** and **Jammu and Kashmir**, disputed between **India, Pakistan and China** for decades, poorly connected because building connections is tricky; the roads between them are long, winding and treacherous. ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0495.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0515.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0540.webp]] ### 9:31 Zojila Tunnel - **9:31** On the **Zojila Pass**, the worst part can take up to **four hours**, which is why they're building the **Zojila Tunnel**, almost **12,000 ft** above sea level, cutting that to **15 minutes** and usable **all year round**. - **9:54** At **13 km** it is set to be the **longest tunnel ever built in India**. - **10:00** No major catastrophes so far, which may be down to the technique: contractor **Megha Engineering and Infrastructures** chose the **New Austrian Tunnelling Method** (NATM), which uses the strength of the surrounding ground as much as possible with continuous stability **monitoring**. - **10:20** Blasting is involved, with support from **rock bolts**, **steel ribs or mesh** and **shotcrete** (concrete sprayed onto the walls straight after excavation), then a **waterproof lining** and another layer of concrete. - **10:40** The method isn't unique to Zojila; it's used across the region, **including at Silkyara**. But, as Dix said, adjusting the approach as problems arise is part of it, "which perhaps wasn't done effectively in the past". - **10:59** There are also **eight cut-and-cover tunnels** through lower-lying areas (dig a trench, build the lining inside, backfill over the top). - **11:12** **Three vertical shafts** up to **500 m** tall will ventilate the main tunnel. The first had a breakthrough when its **pilot tunnel** was completed in **July 2025**; it will be enlarged to the full **7.5 m** diameter. - **11:34** Despite the care and high-tech kit, things haven't gone smoothly: now **more than 40%** complete, the tunnel's original deadline of **December 2026** has been pushed back **four years**. ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0580.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0630.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0660.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0690.webp]] ### 11:55 Silkyara Latest - **11:55** In **April 2025** the two ends of the **Silkyara Tunnel** finally met, ending excavation, though there is still a long way to go to completion. A slightly later opening "is nothing compared to what might have been". - **12:18** Dix: "It's insane... we did perform a bit of a **miracle**, I think... when I met a lot of the kids afterwards — because they're just kids — I was like, oh my God, we really have given **41 people a second chance at life**." - **12:35** Tunnels have been built through similar terrain without serious incidents, but these episodes show Himalayan building is harder than many imagine. India "must prove that it can tame this unforgiving landscape by taking the stakes even higher. Let's just hope the mountains don't have other ideas." - **12:58** Closing plug for **Get Construction Talking** (getconstructiontalking.org) and a subscribe call for "the definitive video channel for construction". ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0722.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0750.webp]] ![[images/Are-Indias-New-Himalayan-Tunnels-Too-Risky-t0768.webp]] ## Things mentioned ### Silkyara tunnel (Uttarakhand) - **Silkyara tunnel**: **4.5 km** road tunnel on the Char Dham highway programme; collapse on **12 November 2023**, **270 m** from the southern (Silkyara) portal; **41** workers trapped for **17 days**; lifeline via a small emergency tunnel/pipe - Rescue methods run in parallel: **auger** (broke down short of the target), **vertical drill** from the surface, access from the far end, a **side TBM**, mining-style **bracing**; final stretch dug by **miners with manual drills** - Failings: poor workmanship and lax practices (an engineering geologist), deformations not addressed and contractor negligence (official report), **21 prior collapses** counted by Dix - Breakthrough in **April 2025**. Not in the video: excavation of the **4.53 km Silkyara–Barkot** tunnel was completed on **16 April 2025**, and Chief Minister **Pushkar Singh Dhami** said it would be named after the local deity **Baba Baukhnag**; the client is **NHIDCL** and the contractor **Navayuga Engineering** ([The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/uttarakhand/uttarakhands-silkyara-tunnel-achieves-breakthrough/article69457058.ece)) ### Char Dham region - **Uttarakhand**, the "Land of the Gods"; **Chota Char Dham** Hindu pilgrimage sites; millions of pilgrims a year - **900 km** highway upgrade (two-lane roads and tunnels); more than half the state at high landslide risk ### Rail near miss - Rail tunnel about **200 km** southeast of Silkyara; TBM hit a sudden **water inrush** at **5 km** (about a third of the way); broke through **April 2025**. The companion identifies it as part of the **Rishikesh–Karnaprayag** rail project. Not in the video: this is **Tunnel No. 8** (**14.57 km**, Devprayag–Janasu), India's longest rail tunnel, built by **Larsen & Toubro** for **RVNL** with the **9.11 m** single-shield TBM **Shakti** (10.4 km by TBM, 4.11 km by NATM) and broken through on **16 April 2025** ([L&T](https://www.larsentoubro.com/pressreleases/2025-04-21-lt-achieves-breakthrough-in-india-s-longest-rail-tunnel-on-rishikesh-karnaprayag-rail-line)) ### Atal Tunnel - **9 km** road tunnel under the **Rohtang Pass**, over **10,000 ft**; Manali to Lahaul and Spiti more than **4 hours** faster; fault zone with up to **8,000 L/min** of water; one **600 m** stretch took **4 years**. Not in the video: the tunnel is **9.02 km**, was built by the **Border Roads Organisation** and opened by PM **Narendra Modi** on **3 October 2020**, and the problem stretch was the **587 m Seri Nalah fault zone** ([MoD brief](https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2022/mar/doc202232428801.pdf)) ### Zojila Tunnel (Jammu and Kashmir – Ladakh) - **13 km**, almost **12,000 ft**, set to be India's longest tunnel; pass crossing **4 hours → 15 minutes**, open all year - Contractor **Megha Engineering and Infrastructures** (MEIL); **NATM** (blasting, rock bolts, steel ribs/mesh, shotcrete, waterproof lining, final concrete) - **Eight cut-and-cover** tunnels; **three ventilation shafts** up to **500 m**, the first pilot hole done **July 2025**, to be enlarged to **7.5 m** - Video: more than **40%** complete; **December 2026** deadline pushed back **four years** - Not in the video: the four-year slip to **December 2030** at about 40% progress was reported in **2023** ([The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/zojila-tunnel-construction-40-work-over-terrain-weather-challenges-push-completion-deadline-to-2030/article67138202.ece)). In August 2025 Union minister **Nitin Gadkari** told the Lok Sabha the target was **February 2028** (previously 29 September 2026), with **64%** physical progress and a cost of **Rs 6,809 crore** ([Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/zojila-tunnel-completion-delayed-by-over-2-years-nitin-gadkari-tells-lok-sabha-101754079598878.html)). NHIDCL lists shafts of **480 m, 385 m and 213.5 m** and eight cut-and-cover sections totalling **2.35 km** ([NHIDCL](https://www.nhidcl.com/en/blog/zojila-tunnel-gateway-ladakhs-prosperity)). After this video, MEIL announced the **final breakthrough on 9 June 2026**, giving the length as **13.153 km** and the highest point as **11,578 ft** ([MEIL](https://meil.in/zojila-tunnel-breakthrough-meil-group-creates-history-himalayas)). - **19 more** tunnel projects planned in Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, a region disputed between **India, Pakistan and China** ### Geology and methods - **Shear zones** (tectonic strain): instability, water/mud ingress, collapse - Variable rock hardness; soft "**old seabed**" rock; rock that **squeezes** and changes with depth - **New Austrian Tunnelling Method**; **shotcrete**; **cut and cover**; **auger boring**; **TBMs**; vertical shaft **pilot tunnels** ### Figures - **41** workers, **17** days, **270 m** from the portal, **4.5 km** tunnel, **900 km** highway programme, about **100 miles** from the state capital - Rail near miss at **5 km**; **200 km** southeast - Atal: **9 km**, **10,000+ ft**, **8,000 L/min**, **600 m** in **4 years**, **4+ hours** saved - Zojila: **13 km**, about **12,000 ft**, **4 h → 15 min**, **8** cut-and-cover tunnels, **3** shafts up to **500 m**, **7.5 m** diameter, **40%+** complete, deadline **Dec 2026 + 4 years** - **19** projects in the pipeline; Dix counted **21** prior collapses ### People and organisations - **Fred Mills** (host); **Adam Savage** (companion article author); **Professor Arnold Dix** (tunnelling expert, former ITA president) - **International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association** (ITA); India's chief engineer and the principal advisor to the Prime Minister (unnamed) - **Megha Engineering and Infrastructures**; footage sources listed above (including **Herrenknecht**, **Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India**, BBC News, CNN News-18, WION) ### Places - **Uttarakhand**: **Silkyara**; the Char Dham region - **Himachal Pradesh**: **Rohtang Pass**, **Manali**, **Lahaul and Spiti** - **Ladakh**, **Jammu and Kashmir**, the **Zojila Pass**; mentioned for contrast: **Nepal**, **Tibet**, **Bhutan** ### The B1M - **Get Construction Talking** (construction mental-health initiative); *The World's Best Construction Podcast* ## Biographies ### Fred Mills Co-founder and on-camera host of **The B1M** (named as host by the companion article). He narrates the story from the studio, linking the Silkyara collapse, the rail near miss, the Atal Tunnel and the Zojila Tunnel, and ends by hoping "the mountains don't have other ideas". ### Adam Savage Writer at **The B1M** and author of the companion article *[The World's Most Dangerous Tunnel](https://www.theb1m.com/video/india-himalayas-tunnels)* (08 December 2025). Not to be confused with the *MythBusters* presenter. The article closely follows the script and adds captions that identify the Rishikesh–Karnaprayag rail tunnel and Zojila's 13 km length. ### Arnold Dix Australian professor and international expert on tunnelling and underground infrastructure safety, and at the time **president of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association** (ITA). Called in via WhatsApp by India's chief engineer, he helped plan the parallel rescue efforts at Silkyara. In the video he explains why Himalayan rock is so unpredictable, describes counting 21 prior collapses, and calls the rescue "a bit of a miracle" that gave 41 people "a second chance at life".