Engineering Without Ecosystems

Tunnels and highways may promise progress, but in the Himalayas, ignoring nature carries a heavy cost.

- Dr. Waseem Ahmad

The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway is a key link between Kashmir and the rest of India. Every day, it carries essential goods, medical supplies, tourists and commuters. But behind this lifeline lies a growing problem.

Landslides, tunnel collapses, and cloudbursts, like the recent one in Ramban, are disrupting traffic more often than ever before. These are not just natural events. They are signs of increasing stress on a fragile mountain ecosystem.

The Himalayas, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, are young and unstable mountains. They are still changing and settling. Their forest cover helps prevent erosion, absorbs rain, and stabilizes the soil. However, this natural balance is being damaged by heavy construction activities. New roads, widened highways and tunnels are being built quickly, using large machines and explosives, without much attention to the environment.