Chenani-Nashri tunnel to help save fuel, cut pollution

The South-East Asia’s longest tunnel, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Chenani in Udhampur district on Sunday, will not only save time and money, but will also have a positive effect on the environmentally fragile mountainous range of the Lower Shivalik and the Central Himalayas.
The 9.2-km-long Chenani-Nashri Tunnel has come as a respite for the travellers on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway as it has reduced the distance between Jammu and Srinagar by 31 km and the travel time by two hours. The state-of-the-art engineering marvel has also contributed to saving the environment of the Himalayas.
Built at an elevation of 1200 m inside the Lower Shivalik, the tunnel bypasses the 41-km accident-prone curve road on the national highway, saving fuel worth Rs 27 lakh per day. The more fuel it saves, the less the damage to the environment.
Noted geologist of the state GM Bhat said: “The tunnel will have a positive effect on the environment as it will save fuel. The waste of the tunnel was disposed of properly, the flow of a nullah at Nashri was not disrupted and there was no collateral damage during the construction of the tunnel.”
He said the tunnel would improve the environment around the Chenani-Nashri area. “Now, it should be the duty of the common man not to pollute the area by littering and defacing the mountains,” he added.
“Though the mountains around the tunnel have mud stones as well which could damage its structure in future, the technology which has been used in the tunnel has taken care of all geological affects. It is a safe and strong tunnel,” Bhat said.
The Chenani tunnel is totally dry from inside despite around 2,800 litres of water coming out of the mountain through which the tunnel runs.
“We have utilised the water during construction work. Now, the water is being used by us to meet the daily water requirement of officials of the executing agency posted at the tunnel. The remaining water is being flushed out in the natural nullah at Nashri,” said Ashutosh Chanwar, regional manager, IL&FS, the executing agency of the tunnel.
“We have taken care of the environmental cost of the tunnel and we feel proud to say that not even a single tree was cut during its construction,” Chanwar said.