Srinagar, Sept 25: The Srinagar–Jammu National Highway (NH-44) has long been the Valley’s lifeline. Winding through the Pir Panjal range, it carries food, fuel, medicines, and the promise of connection between Kashmir and the rest of India, mostly the transportation of apples. Yet, beneath its surface lies a constant threat—one of the highest concentrations of landslide-prone slopes in the entire Himalayan arc.
A recent study has brought sharper focus to this danger, warning that many stretches of the highway, particularly between Jawahar Tunnel in Banihal and Ramban, are vulnerable to collapse. Scientists assessing the road cut slopes along NH-44 found stability levels ranging from moderately safe to alarmingly unstable, underscoring the fragility of this critical artery.
The Himalayas are often described as “young mountains,” and NH-44 bears the brunt of their instability. “The rocks are weak, full of cracks, and often oriented in ways that make large blocks prone to sliding out once the slopes are cut,” says Mahjoor Lone, an earth scientist at Northumbria University who co-authored the study. “Road construction has left behind steep walls, and when heavy rainfall seeps into the cracks, the rocks lose strength and collapse.”
This natural fragility is compounded by the region’s tectonic activity. The mountains are not just fractured but also restless, shifting along active fault lines. Every monsoon or winter storm heightens the risk of slopes giving way, blocking traffic for hours or days, and putting thousands of travelers in harm’s way.
The numbers reveal the scale of the hazard. Between 1990 and 2020, nearly 960 landslide events were reported along NH-44. These incidents claimed over 1,000 lives, injured 267 people, and caused extensive economic losses. Sixteen of the region’s 20 districts have been identified as high-risk zones for landslides, making the crisis not just a transport issue but a wider societal challenge.
Published in Applied Geomatics in June, the study examined 27 road cut slopes for strength using Rock Mass Rating (RMR) and Slope Mass Rating (SMR) techniques. Researchers also conducted kinematic analyses at 48 sites to understand how fractures, joints, and orientations in the rock could contribute to slope failures. Their findings revealed a spectrum of vulnerability—from moderately stable stretches to zones where collapse is highly probable.
The results underscore a stark reality: NH-44 is not just a road built through mountains, but one carved into a landscape that is constantly testing its limits.
For locals and travelers, the findings are a reminder of the road’s precariousness. Truckers stranded for days on blocked stretches, families waiting for supplies, and officials scrambling to clear debris have all become familiar scenes. With climate change intensifying rainfall patterns, the risk is likely to grow sharper in the coming years.
The challenge, say scientists, is not just in engineering stronger retaining walls or tunnels but in planning with the landscape rather than against it. “We need a holistic approach—better slope management, alternative routes, and continuous monitoring—if we are to reduce risks on this lifeline highway,” Lone emphasizes.
As Kashmir depends on NH-44 for its very survival, the study is both a warning and a call to action. The highway is more than a road; it is a fragile thread stitching together lives and livelihoods, one that must be safeguarded against the mountains’ relentless pull toward collapse.
