PurposeThis paper aims at the problem of surrounding rock excavation damage zone of tunneling in the rich water region, this paper aims to propose a new seepage-stress-damage coupling model and studied the numerical algorithm. This reflects the characteristics of rock damage evolution, accompanied by plastic flow deformation and multi-field interaction.Design/methodology/approachFirst of all, rock elastoplastic damage constitutive model based on the Drucker–Prager criterion is established, the fully implicit return mapping algorithm is adopted to realize the numerical solution. Second, based on the relation between damage variation and permeability coefficient, the rock stress-seepage-damage model and multi-field coupling solving iterative method are presented. Finally, using the C++ language compiled the corresponding programs and simulated tunnel engineering in the rich water region.FindingsResults show that difference evolution-based back analysis inversed damage parameters well, at the same time the established coupling model and calculating program have more advantages than general conventional methods. Multiple field coupling effects should be more considered for the design of tunnel support.Originality/valueThe proposed method provides an effective numerical simulation method for the construction of the tunnel and other geotechnical engineering involved underground water problems.