Civil Insight: A Technical Magazine Volume 3 | Page 83

Dr. Shyam Sundar r K
Khadka’s
Khadka
s Say
S y on
n
Tunnel and Underground Structures
Source: facebook.com/shyam.s.khadka
Q) Is the geology of Nepal suitable for
constructing tunnel? Do you think Nepal
should invest in tunneling to enhance
transportation?
Presently working as an Assistant Professor in
Kathmandu University, Dr. Shyam Sundar
Khadka graduated in Civil Engineering in 2004,
and did his MSc. in Structural Engineering in
2009 from Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan
University, Nepal. He completed his PhD in
Civil Engineering in 2019 from Kathmandu
University. During his PhD, he was an
exchange student in Seoul National University
in 2014 and University of Porto in 2015-2016.
His main research areas are Structural
Engineering, Steel Structures, Rock Mechanics,
and Underground Structures. He has been
serving the Department of Civil Engineering at
KU since 2009 and has been an integral part of
it ever since.
The geology of Nepal is quite unique. We
have Shivaliks, Lesser Himalaya, and Higher
Himalaya, which are composed of rock types
such as sedimentary, igneous, and
metamorphic. The challenge experienced in
tunneling in Nepal is that these rock masses
are highly jointed and possess a large
number of faults, making the rock mass
weak. In spite of all these challenges,
tunneling is possible by opting a suitable
tunneling technology. For weak rock masses,
drill and blast method is adopted rather than
mechanized methods that use TBM.
Nepalese, having constructed more than 200
KMs of tunnel, have now become well
experienced in hydropower tunneling. Now it
is high time that we take a paradigm shift in
transportation
sector
by
developing
transportation tunnels. Being a landlocked
country, tunneling for transportation
purposes seems paramount in case of Nepal.
The Editorial Team of Civil Insight got in
conversation with a tunnel expert, Dr. Khadka,
for this year’s issue.
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