Environmental and Social Dimensions of Tunnel Collapse Negligence in the Himalayan Region

Abstract

Tunnel collapses in the Himalayan region are significant hazards intensified by human intervention, causing serious environmental and social consequences. Infrastructure development in the fragile Himalayan region reflects a form of environmental injustice, where ecological fragility and human risk are intensified by inequitable planning and disregard for community and worker safety. The Silkyara tunnel collapse under the Char-Dham project in Uttarkashi illustrates how marginalized construction workers, often from low-income backgrounds, bear disproportionate occupational and environmental burdens in the name of national development. This article discusses the objective of the Silkyara tunnel, lessons and warnings from previous tunnel collapses in the Himalayas, geological challenges for construction in the Himalayan region, reasons for the collapse, rescue processes, and mitigation recommendations. Also, the research situates tunnel collapses within the broader discourse of environmental and occupational justice, examining how state-driven infrastructure projects reproduce unequal exposure to ecological and labor risks. Using this framework, this study reinterprets the catastrophe and shows how development-led tunnel building disproportionately puts underprivileged workers and delicate ecosystems at risk. The research, which focuses on policy carelessness, ecological fragility, and worker vulnerability, places the collapse within international discussions on equitable environmental governance. In order to guarantee equitable allocation of environmental hazards, community involvement in planning, and the moral treatment of workers in upcoming infrastructure projects, it suggests incorporating justice-based frameworks into Himalayan development policy. The study recommends sustainable management practices and policy interventions required for maintaining ecological health in the Himalayan region.