India set to unveil its first longest underwater tunnel, located in…, to reduce travel time from 6 to 1.5 ho

India is building its first underwater tunnel under the Brahmaputra River in Assam

India is trying to build its first underwater tunnel under the Brahmaputra River in Assam. While the tunnel is 15.6 km long and designed as a double-tube tunnel, the project is estimated to cost Rs 14,900 crore. The Public Investment Board (PIB) gave permission to the project, which has not yet received approval from the Union Cabinet. The huge structure is being built 32 meters below the deepest bed level of the Brahmaputra. Once completed, it will be one of India’s most ambitious and complex civil engineering projects in history.

The fact that 20% of the project’s financing is covered by the Ministry of Defense and the remaining 80% is covered by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways makes the project for both civilian and defense purposes.

What are the features of underwater double tube tunnel in Assam?

The double-tube tunnel is a four-lane engineering marvel built deep into the riverbed. It is designed as two one-way tunnels, each with two lanes. The tunnel has strategic importance because it was built close to the Chinese border.

What are the benefits of the tunnel project?

The tunnel will greatly reduce travel time between Numaligarh and Gohpur from 240 km to just 34 km. Commuting time will also be reduced from 6 hours to half an hour. The tunnel will also provide easy access to Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and other northeastern states. With reduced travel time, the tunnel will facilitate faster deployment of defense personnel and equipment. With this, civilian travel will become safer, especially during the monsoon season when ferry and bridge routes are frequently clogged.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took inspiration from the Atal Tunnel in the Himalayas. Hence the idea for this, transforming a long-standing desire into a nationally recognized strategic corridor and bringing the gap between the two banks of the Brahmaputra closer than before.

The project has been approved by the National Wildlife Board but must pass a series of environmental checks, including studies of sediment patterns, groundwater movement and seismic resilience, which are important for a tunnel of this scale.