Big landslide rise on Char Dham route, ‘unscientific' hill cuts to blame: Study
Published in Springer's peer-reviewed journal Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, the study was conducted by Soumik Saha and Biswajit Bera of West Bengal's Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University.
The researchers tracked over 800 km of pilgrimage routes to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri, identifying 811 landslides, 81% of which occurred within just 100m of the highway. More than 500 landslides were linked to slopes cut at angles steeper than 80°, well beyond safe engineering limits.
The Rishikesh–Dharasu stretch (NH-34) emerged as a major hotspot, with a significant cluster of landslides. Schmidt hammer tests (used to assess rock strength) revealed highly weathered and unstable phyllite-rich zones, particularly near Tehri and Rudraprayag.
Monsoon rains, worsened by poor drainage and exposed cut slopes, have intensified slope failures. The study notes a marked increase in landslides between 2013 and 2023, coinciding with implementation of the highway project.
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The researchers said that human-induced disturbances, rather than natural seismicity, are now the primary cause of slope collapses across many stretches.
The Rs 12,000 crore Char Dham highway project involves widening 890km of roads and constructing bridges, flyovers, bypasses, and culverts. It has likely led to the loss of 690 hectares of forest, felling of over 55,000 trees, and displacement of nearly 20 million cubic metres of soil, significantly altering local ecology and slope stability, the study notes.
To counter these impacts, the study recommends deployment of grouted tiebacks—a slope-stabilising technique that strengthens cut faces by anchoring them into bedrock.
"With a record 46.5 lakh pilgrims visiting Char Dham in 2022, and projections of 60 lakh in the coming years, the risk to human lives, infrastructure, and the environment is growing," said Bera. "The Himalayas are not just rocks to be carved through.
They are living, breathing ecosystems. Reckless excavation is turning these highways into potential death traps."
"The steep road-cut slopes reduce the FoS and lower the minimum rainfall threshold required to trigger a failure," added Saha.
The study urges policymakers to rethink their approach so the ecological integrity of fragile mountain landscapes are not compromised in the rush to boost connectivity and promote tourism.
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