KATHMANDU: Continuous rainfall over the past three days has disrupted vehicular movement across Nepal, with roads blocked by floods and landslides in 37 districts.
According to Nepal Police, roads in all seven provinces were affected as of 7:20 am on Sunday. Several major highways and road sections have been closed due to landslides, flooding and the risk of further damage.
Major affected routes include the Prithvi Highway, Kanti Lokpath, BP Highway, Araniko Highway, Madan Bhandari Highway, Kaligandaki Corridor, Koshi Corridor, Mid-Hill Highway, Mechi Highway, Mechi Corridor, Narayangadh-Muglin road, and Kathmandu-Kulekhani-Hetauda road.
Other affected routes include the Pokhara-Baglung road, Beni-Jomsom-Korala road, Ghorahi-Tulsipur road, Siddhartha Highway, Gorusinge-Sandhikharka road, Karnali Highway, Karnali Corridor, Rapti Highway and K.I. Singh Highway.
Several sections have been blocked by landslides, while traffic has also been stopped on some routes because of the risk of further floods and landslides. The Department of Roads has deployed equipment and teams to clear blocked sections and restore traffic.
Meanwhile, flooding in the Kaligandaki River has swept away a bridge connecting Mirmi in Kaligandaki Rural Municipality-7 of Syangja with Harmichaur in Kaligandaki Rural Municipality-1 of Gulmi. The bridge, located below the dam site of the Kaligandaki ‘A’ Hydropower Project, was washed away by the rising river.
The bridge was around 50 meters long and was built in 1996. Its collapse has cut the road connection between Syangja and Gulmi.
The Narayangadh-Muglin road has also been affected. At Simaltal, part of the road has subsided after the Trishuli River rose following continuous rainfall and eroded the lower section of the road.
Authorities have urged motorists to check the latest road conditions before traveling and avoid routes affected by floods and landslides.
