The Badrinath Highway in Chamoli district has suffered extensive damage this monsoon due to landslides and subsidence, making travel extremely risky. Pilgrims heading towards Badrinath Dham and Hemkund Sahib are navigating through collapsing rocks and unstable slopes. The most dangerous stretches are at Maithana, Nandprayag, Pipalkoti, and from Helang to Paini Mor, where continuous landslides have worsened road conditions.
Work on the All-Weather Road Project between Gauchar and Badrinath (128 km) has largely been completed since 2018, but rains have severely affected its stability. At Pipalkoti’s Bhaner Pani, nearly one kilometer of road has sunk under landslides, while the Helang–Paini Mor stretch is witnessing alarming subsidence, disrupting vehicle movement. Responsibility for highway maintenance is divided between NHIDCL (Gauchar to Helang) and BRO (Helang to Mana).
Several vulnerable spots along the highway include Kameda, Chattwapeepal, Bandarkhand, Kaleshwar, Purusari, Maithana, Birahi Chada, Bhaner Pani, Patalganga, Paini Mor, Hathi Parvat, Khachra Nala, Lambagad, and Kanchan Nala. Authorities are carrying out stabilization works, particularly in Maithana, but officials admit that natural disasters remain unpredictable.
“Efforts are underway to keep the highway functional. Treatment will be carried out once the weather stabilizes,” said Ajay Batra, General Manager, NHIDCL, Chamoli.
