Roads connecting valley disrupted at 57 places

Kathmandu, Sept. 30: Major highways and roads across the country have been partially or completely obstructed from Saturday onwards breaking their connectivity with Kathmandu. 

The main highways are obstructed at 57 different locations, the government said on Sunday afternoon.

According to the Department of Roads (DoR), no roads connecting the Kathmandu Valley have been opened yet. 

The BP Highway has suffered the most damage while the Tribhuvan Highway has been blocked at Jhyapplekhola in Dhading.

All roads connecting Kathmandu have been closed since early Saturday morning while it may take time to open them, the Department of Roads said, adding that the Tribhuvan Highway is not expected to open until Sunday evening.

Talking to The Rising Nepal on Sunday, the Director General for the Department of Roads, Ramhari Pokhrel, said that the roads and bridges in the Bagmati Province suffered the most in the recent rainfall. He said that the Sunkoshi River caused significant damage in many areas.

“We will bring the Tribhuvan Highway into operation from Sunday evening or late night,” DG Pokhrel said, adding, “The delay is due to the recovery of buried vehicles and bodies while clearing the landslide debris at Jhyapplekhola.”

As an alternative, some vehicles have been using the Dharke-Sitapaila route to and from the valley, he said. 

Yubaraj Aryal, the Assistant Chief District Officer of Dhading, also said that the main highways had not been brought into operation. 

“While clearing the landslide, buried vehicles have been found along with bodies,” he said. “This has caused a delay in removing the landslide. Efforts are ongoing to clear the road by Sunday evening,” he said. 

Blocked roads

Altogether 57 roads across the country remain blocked at present. The highways connecting the Kathmandu Valley are obstructed at various locations, the DoR said. 

The Bardibas-Sindhuli-Khurkot-Dhulikhel section of the BP Highway has been blocked at the Bhyakure area in Kavre district since Saturday morning. 

Under the Araniko Highway, roads at Simle, Dhakalang, Kodari and Dolaghat Chautari are closed. The Lipping Bridge in Sindhupalchok has also been washed away.

The Tribhuvan Highway from Hetauda-Bhaise-Palung-Naubise-Kathmandu has also been blocked.

The Mid-Hill Highway has been obstructed above Bhanda Khola in Okhaldhunga. Roads in Sindhuli at Harjaini, Baleni, Salghari, Kukhuretar, Lau Khola, Phikkal, and the Khaireini Ghat at Ramechhap have also been blocked.

The Mechi Highway has also been blocked at the Charali-Phidim section in Phidim. The Bhedetar-Rabi Ranke road has also been obstructed in the Maidan area of Phidim. The Mirchaiya-Katari-Ghurmi road has also been closed from Chanaute to Ghurmi in Udayapur. 

The Tamor Corridor has also experienced landslides from the Chatara Bridge to Barahakshetra.

Landslides have blocked the Lahan-Gaighat-Mahure road in Udayapur.

The road from Gwarko-Lubhu to Lakuri Bhanjyang in Lalitpur has been blocked at Lakuri Bhanjyang-Mane Dobhan. Likewise, the Dumre-Besisahar-Chame road has been blocked at Ram Bazaar in Lamjung. 

The Saljhandi-Sandikhark-Dhorpatan road has also been blocked at Gholadanda in Arghakhanchi.

Bhuwan Adhikari, head of the Mechanical Branch of the Road Department, said that necessary equipment has reached at the landslide locations.

"The most damage has occurred on the BP Highway. Equipment has reached the landslide area," said Adhikari. "We expect to clear most of the landslides within one or two days. However, in places where the road has collapsed or been washed away by the river, it will take more time," he said. 

He said that discussions were ongoing about how to manage the situation in the Sunkoshi. By Monday, most roads will be cleared and vehicles will be able to pass.

Suman Yogesh, head of the Road Division Office in Bhaktapur, which oversees roads in Kavrepalanchok, said that there is a section of the BP Highway where a kilometre and a half of the road is washed away. 

Five large bridges damaged

On Friday and Saturday, five bridges suffered major damage. The 49-metre-long bridge over the Hewa River on the Mechi Highway was washed away.

The Sunkoshi River has washed away a 100-metre-long steel bridge. The increased flow in the river caused one span of the bridge to be washed away. Likewise, a 35-metre-long bridge under construction has been completely washed away.

In Panauti Municipality of Kavre, seven bridges were washed away by floods.

In Jhapa, the right side of the road and bridge in the Biring River suffered damage. The Sunkoshi has washed away a bridge under construction on the Lahan-Gaighat-Solukhumbu road, with half of the bridge reported washed away, according to the DoR. 

During the flood in July and August this year, six bridges were washed away.