Transportation has been halted in various sections of the Gairichhap-Deurali-Pandrung road due to landslides.

Within a span of one and a half weeks, landslides have blocked the road at Dhap in Barpak Sulikot-8 Pandrung, Gairichhap, and Pahare along the Ghyampesal–Panchkuwa Deurali–Pandrung section.

Although the landslide at Pandrung Dhap was cleared and the road repaired a week ago, it has subsided again, completely stopping vehicular movement, according to Krishna Gurung, Ward Chair of Barpak Sulikot-7. “There are major landslides in three places and minor ones in four other locations,” he said. “Because of the landslides, vehicles cannot operate.”

He also stated that even pedestrian movement is not possible at Pandrung Dhap. “The soil is clayey. A spring burst underneath, causing the road at Pandrung Dhap to subside—about 25 meters of road has been washed away,” he said.

He mentioned that repairs to the road are unlikely before the monsoon ends, and an alternative route via Mulabari Gurdum is now being used. Locals reported that about 1 meter of road has subsided at Gairichhap and about 3 meters at Pahare in Ward No. 8. An alternative road is being used at Gairichhap, and traffic at Pahare is barely moving.

The landslide at Gairichhap also toppled an electricity pole, leaving more than 600 households in Barpak Sulikot-7 without electricity for four days.

Gurung said that six electricity poles have been damaged by the landslide. “At Gairichhap, the pole was swept away and the wires are hanging loose. With the poles gone, the entire village has no electricity, and even charging mobile phones has become a problem,” he said. He added that repair work is underway by the Nepal Electricity Authority.

Santosh Aryal, head of the Infrastructure Office Gorkha, said that after the road collapsed, a technical team conducted a study. “We had repaired the road at Pandrung Dhap, but a landslide occurred immediately after,” he said. “We have also arranged to clear an alternative route at that location, and technical studies have been conducted on other subsided sections.”

He explained that the road subsided due to geographical reasons. “It’s not that the structure collapsed and caused the landslide; water was seeping underground, and the road subsided because water eroded the soil beneath,” he said.

Bishnu Bhatt, Chair of Barpak Sulikot Rural Municipality, said that the problem of road subsidence arose due to geographical issues and lack of water management during the initial road construction. “The road has been washed away from the lower section, and the road at Pandrung Dhap is completely blocked,” he said.