By Prakash Chandra Bhattarai
Damauli,Sept 1 : Incessant rains of nearly a week have caused landslides in a dozen locations across the Judiphant-Chisapani section of the Shuklagandaki Dulegonda Dhorbarahi Motorway, completely blocking it.
According to Jhanmaya Parajuli, vice-chairperson of Harinas Rural Municipality, the motorway, which connects Tanahun and Syangja, has been blocked since Tuesday.
“The road, which was under construction, has been damaged in many places by landslides. So, vehicles have been able to pass through,” she said.

Landslides had blocked the road at the beginning of the monsoon in June too. At the time, it took more than a week to clear the rubble and open it for vehicles. “We now face a similar situation again,” Parajuli worried.
Before the landslides, the road, linking Shuklagandaki Municipality of Tanahun with Harinas Rural Municipality of Syangja, was being blacktopped and upgraded at a cost of Rs. 326.5 million.
However, repeated landslides have delayed thework.

Meanwhile, the livelihoods of farmers in Pokhari Bhanjyang and Belbas have been adversely affected after the flooded Chhabdi River swept away the temporary diversion.
The temporary diversion had been constructed with the help of Vyas Municipality after a flood in the river destroyed the concrete bridge on July 1.

But that diversion too was swept away on Sunday, cutting the residents of the two areas, as well as those of Rishing, Bandipur and Devghat rural municipalities, from the Buddha Singh Road.
Meghnath Acharya, a farmer of Belbas, said that without the diversion, vehicles could not travel to and from the area and without vehicles, the farmers could not send their produce to the markets in the district headquarters Damauli.

Laxmi Kant Mishra, chairman of Belbas Milk Producers' Cooperative, said that more than 2,000 litres of milk is produced daily in Belbas, milk which used to be sold to dairies in the district headquarters. “Not being able to sell it will damage the livelihoods of more than 60 households here,” he said.