One of the world's largest avalanche research institutes, the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) is situated in Manali, in the heart of the Himalayas. The SLF has been collaborating with the SASE for several decades, and numerous Indian scholars have already visited the facility in Switzerland. Yves Bühler's three-month trip to India will be the longest stay by a Swiss avalanche researcher at the SASE to date.
Protecting roads against avalanches at altitudes of more than 5000 m
The Himalaya mountain range straddles several countries, including India. The northwest of India alone has around 200,000 km² of alpine and high alpine territory (equivalent to five times the area of Switzerland). Some of the summits approach the 8000 m mark. In view of the borders drawn here between India, Pakistan and China, this is a strategically important region. In order to safeguard supplies to the Kashmir region, India is currently developing the road that links Manali and Leh. The Manali-Leh Highway traces a legendary and notorious route across some of the world's highest road passes. The government aims to keep the road open as late into the winter as possible, which is no easy task with pass altitudes reaching above 5000 m. It is difficult even to forecast where avalanches are likely to be released. The terrain is steep, contorted and practically impenetrable on foot. Because of extreme winds, helicopters can only seldom take to the air. In addition, the authorities here, unlike those in Switzerland, do not have access to numerous weather stations and historical avalanche records. Just five years ago, a now vital section of the highway was a nondescript dirt track.
Where will the avalanche start, and what route will it take? Questions that are not easy to answer.
Call for SLF expertise
Forecasting is where the SLF researchers come into play. The RAMMS avalanche simulation software developed in Davos has been calculating the starting zone, flow depth and run-out distance of likely avalanches along the approach to the Rohtang Tunnel, which is on the route between Manali and Leh. The information delivered by the software is crucial for planning and building snow sheds and avalanche dams. The highway is nearing completion, so that the protective measures must be put in place as quickly as possible. By way of this collaboration between the institutes, the Indians are benefiting from the expertise of the SLF. In turn, the Swiss researchers have an excellent opportunity to assess methods that were developed and tested in the Alps in the entirely different climatic and topographical conditions that exist in the Himalayas.
Yves Bühler with his family before departing for India.
A country brimming with optimism
Belying the conventional image of an impoverished India, the scholars working at the SASE dispose of research funding that compares favourably with that of the SLF. An upbeat mood prevails in everyday life beyond the confines of the SASE as well. The self-assurance of the population at large is growing as quickly as the country's economic significance. Poverty has already been all but banished from the Manali region. Even in regions of the country where hardship and environmental pollution remain major concerns, however, the optimism is at least as strong as elsewhere. Not only in research, but also in other spheres, "incredible India" (the official slogan of the Indian Ministry of Tourism) will be a force to be reckoned with in future.
Village life unfolds behind the house occupied by the Bühlers.