Nagdhunga Tunnel Milestone For Development

On August 7, 2023, a fresh breeze blew through Nagdhunga. Nepal is constructing a tunnel road for vehicular traffic in the Himalayas with the support of the Government of Japan. Japanese companies are working hard every day together with many Nepali people on this difficult project. Japan continues to contribute to this challenging project. This project would not only enhance the convenience of transportation, which leads to economic and social development in the region, but would also have the aspect of investment for future development of Nepal. Although the completion of this entire project is a little way off, I would like to take this opportunity to express some of my views on this significant project.

Before talking about this project, it is necessary to look back at the origins of Nepal, the site of the project. According to the tectonics plate theory, the Himalayas were formed approximately 40-50 million years ago by the collision of the Indian continental plate with the Eurasian plate, which began approximately 70 million years ago. The Himalayas used to be an ocean floor, as evidenced by the discovery of sea lily fossils in the Everest summit region and the abundance of rock salt in the mountains. The Himalayas are one of the youngest mountain ranges on the planet and Mount Nanga Parpat, located in the western part of the Himalayan region, is the fastest rising mountain in the world now. 

Delicate consideration

Carrying out the tunnel construction project under these ever-changing Himalayan Mountains is a process of hardship that requires delicate consideration and technology for the geological issues such as fault fracture zones and groundwater, and is fraught with unimaginable difficulties on a daily basis. With the support of the Government of Japan to Nepal, Japanese companies are now taking up the challenge of this situation on the ground.

To illustrate the difficulties faced by Japanese companies on construction sites in the past, I would like to present the case that happened 60 years ago in Japan. The KUROBE No. 4 Dam, commonly known as KUROYON in Japanese, was completed in June 1963, exactly 60 years ago. People at the time considered it as the greatest construction project of the century. This work was subsequently printed as a novel and broadcast as a film, TV drama series and documentary programme, and is remembered by many Japanese. 

A successor of one Japanese company that was in charge of the first construction section of the KUROBE Dam happens to be one of the civil engineering companies now undertaking construction work in the midst of challenges in Nagdhunga, Nepal. The company also has many years of experience in the construction of the Sindhuli Road, known the BP Highway. The company's motto is Biryu-Kesshu (particulates assemble). This motto expresses the spirit of "Each of us may have little power, but when we combine our strength, we can exert great energy", and under this corporate motto, Japanese and Nepali people are working together on a daily basis at the Nagdhunga construction site.

The Nagdhunga Tunnel is a 2.68-km long road tunnel with two lanes for vehicular traffic and is the first of its kind in Nepal. The construction work of the project started in 2019, and excavation of the main tunnel and construction of the necessary facilities inside and outside the tunnel are still underway. 

Although it will take some more time to complete the main tunnel, the evacuation tunnel, which had been excavated from both the west and east sides, was finally penetrated on Monday (7thAugust). At the moment of penetration, a fresh breeze blew through the evacuation tunnel. I myself was there to witness the last detonation and was moved by the scene of Japanese and Nepali officials and workers sharing their joyous achievement together.

Technology transfer

Witnessing such a memorable scene, I reaffirmed the importance of “technology transfer” as a feature of Japan's ODA projects. The Government of Japan extends numerous technical cooperation programmes through JICA, which include various training and field visits to Japan. Not limited to these technical cooperation programmes, even in an infrastructure construction site, there is a technology transfer aspect in a Japanese project. In this tunnel construction project, Japanese and Nepali people work together using advanced Japanese technology while overcoming challenges on the spot. The experience gained through this difficult work will certainly improve the skills of the Nepali officials and workers for the future. 

In other words, this project is a Japanese ODA infrastructure project, but beyond that, it will build a tangible as well as intangible foundation for the future expansion of the number of road tunnels in Nepal by Nepali engineers. This project is, in many ways, the groundbreaking and historic milestone in the development of Nepal, which embraces the Himalayas. I am dearly looking forward to witnessing the day in the near future when they complete the construction of Nepal's first traffic tunnel in good order and without problems, and sharing the joy with many Nepali people.

(The author is the Ambassador of Japan to Nepal.)