Mountain vs machine: After 17 yrs, India’s longest tunnel ready in MP’s Katni
After a grueling 17-year construction saga fraught with deadly accidents and formidable geological challenges, India's longest irrigation tunnel in Sleemanabad, Katni district, Madhya Pradesh, is finally nearing completion. With just 92 meters of excavation remaining as of June 10, 2026, the 11.95-kilometer Sleemanabad Tunnel is poised to realize a centuries-old mythological dream by channeling Narmada waters into the Son basin, promising to transform the agrarian landscape of five drought-prone districts.








