NH10 starts at the India-Bangladesh border in Phulbari and terminates at Gangtok, covering a total distance of 174 kilometers
“I was stranded for a night in a car with my sick father in a traffic jam caused by a landslide on the National Highway Number 10,” said Shyam Basnet, a resident of Kalijhora, a hamlet on the highway.
Narrating his 2019 ordeal, the 45-year-old said, “Three people in a car were killed by a landslide just a few meters ahead of us. Traffic came to a halt as the rescue operation began. My father suffered a lot as he was returning home after being discharged from a Siliguri hospital.”
Considered the lifeline of Sikkim, a state that shares borders with China, Nepal and Bhutan, the 114-km-long National Highway 10 continues to remain in the headlines for all the wrong reasons as it faces multiple landslides throughout the year.
The highway was shut for almost eight days due to heavy landslides after heavy rains in the region in October 2021. Image procured by author
“The situation has worsened with a new landslide on the arterial highway that connects Sikkim with the Indian mainland,” complained Basnet.
The highway was shut for almost eight days due to heavy landslides after heavy rains in the region in October 2021.
NH10 starts at the India-Bangladesh border in Phulbari and finishes at Gangtok, covering a total of 174 kilometers. The problem area of the highway begins as the road climbs up towards the hills from the Coronation bridge near Siliguri to the bordering town of Rangpo in Sikkim.
The Border Road Organization (BRO) maintains 37 kilometers of the road in Sikkim while the 51.8-kilometer stretch in Bengal, which suffers the most landslides, is taken care of by the Public Works Department (PWD).
There are around seven major landslide areas between Sevoke Coronation Bridge to Rangpo, the bordering town of the Himalayan state.
The road is the supply route for the Indian Army manning the Indo-China border in Sikkim.
Pointing out the fragility of the Sino-India relationship in perspective to the importance of this road, Dr Arnab Chakrabarty professor of International Relations at Sikkim University, said: “Being a landlocked state, Sikkim finds itself unfortunately in the crosshairs of the People’s Republic of China. Its intentions are rather not benign and the defence of the Himalayan state is paramount for India’s larger national interest.”
There are around seven major landslide areas between Sevoke Coronation Bridge to Rangpo, the bordering town of the Himalayan state. Image procured by author
“A vulnerable Sikkim would possibly entail a vulnerable North East turning it into our Achilles’ heel.”
“Communication, logistics and quick troop movement in addition to close air support are the game changers in a modern-day conflict. If the viability of the NH10 remains hostage to the weather and other natural conditions, it may prove to be fatal to our defence measures.” Dr Chakrabarty added.
There are multiple natural and man-made reasons for the deterioration of the road conditions, one of which is the Teesta river.
River and the road
The 65 kilometre stretch of the National Highway runs parallel to Teesta River, a mountainous river that originates in North Sikkim and flows through Bengal to join the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh.
“What we feared long ago came true. The Teesta Low Dam Projects III and IV at Rambi and Kalijhora generating 132 MW and 160 MW hydropower from the river respectively have caused erosion along a large section of the NH10.”
He further added that hydroelectric projects in the Himalayan region have always been risky and their viability questionable due to their adverse impact on the local ecology.
“Another big factor for the landscape in the region is the water accumulated to run the turbines that has led to seepage of water into the highway,” Rao said.
“The broadening of the highway without properly managing the rainwater and without putting in place the drainage system is another reason landslides hit the road regularly,” Rao said.
The road is the supply route for the Indian Army manning the Indo-China border in Sikkim. Image procured by author
Rainfall and earthquakes
“The region of North Bengal and Sikkim, a part of the Eastern Himalaya region, receives a high amount of rainfall. In a year, the area gets rainfall for almost eight months, another strong reason for landslides in the highway area,” said Pribat Rai, assistant professor of geography St Joseph’s College, Darjeeling.
In October 2021, the road was shut for eight days due to heavy rainfall followed by landslides in the highway at 29th Mile area in West Bengal, around 60 kilometres from Sikkim’s Rangpo border.
“Threat of earthquakes is also high in the region due to its geographical location, which has resulted in many landslides in the region,” Rai said. “The Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kampong hills fall under seismic zone IV where the mountains are still young and still evolving,” Rai added.
The region has witnessed two major earthquakes in 2011 and 2015.
An under-construction Sevoke-Rangpo rail project which will be connecting Sevoke town in Bengal with Rangpo in Sikkim in near future has made many tunnels in the hills along the ‘already troubled’ national highway. The route is expected to be functional by 2023. Environmentalists in the region fear that this rail construction will damage the highway further.
“Deforestation and tunneling of the mountains will have a deep and long-lasting impact in the region especially on the fragile condition of the roadway,” said Rai.
The highway needs better road management and sensible driving, the former Indian Air force officer argues.
“An information board updating the landslides status and road conditions on both ends of the highway could ease the traffic congestion on the narrow Himalayan highway,” he suggested.
Community participation in creating awareness and finding solutions to landslides is important, he added.
“Include villagers and community leaders living on the national highway in the discussions to along with government officials and experts,” Rai urged.
Speaking on the strategic importance of the highway Lt General Shokin Chauhan, former DG of Assam Rifles, said, “The road should be kept in good condition all throughout the year for the easy deployment of troops to the Indo-China border in Sikkim.”
Sikkim’s railway network, which connects the state with Bengal, is still under construction and the only greenfield airport in Pakyong remains inoperative most of the time due to bad weather.
National Highway 717A, an alternative roadway for easy movement of vehicles that would connect East Sikkim with Bagrakote, a town in Jalpaiguri district of Bengal, is being constructed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways under the Government of India’s Bharatmala Pariyojana.
However, it might take a few more years before it is fully functional.
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