Shyok Tunnel

Context:

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated 125 infrastructure projects of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) across India. The most prominent among them is the Shyok–Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) Tunnel near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

UPSC Relevance:

Geography prelims

UPSC PYQ:

Q. Siachen Glacier is situated to the (2020)

(a) East of Aksai Chin
(b) East of Leh
(c) North of Gilgit
(d) North of Nubra Valley

About Shyok Tunnel:

• The centrepiece of this push is the Shyok Tunnel, a 920-metre, cut-and-cover structure at over 12,000 feet on the Darbuk–Shyok–Daulat Beg Oldie (DS-DBO) Road, a corridor whose strategic value has surged since the 2020 Galwan Valley clashes.

Shyok River:

• The Shyok River flows through Ladakh (India) and Gilgit-Baltistan (Pakistan).
• It is a major tributary of the Indus River.
• Total length: ~ 550 km
• Drains areas of both India and Pakistan.
• Known for flowing through rugged, high-altitude Himalayan terrain.

Source & Course:

• Origin: Rimo Glacier, southeast of Karakoram Pass.
• Flows northwest into the Nubra Valley (Ladakh).
• Then turns southwest into Gilgit-Baltistan.
• Joins the Indus River near Skardu (Pakistan).

Important Tributaries:

• Saltoro River – originates near the Siachen Glacier region.
• Nubra River – flows through Nubra Valley.