Hundreds of passengers and vehicles have been stranded on the roads after floods and landslides blocked the main highway and even alternative roads.
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The road network in the eastern hilly districts of Ilam and Panchthar has been almost paralyzed due to continuous rains for three days.
Hundreds of passengers and vehicles have been stranded on the road after floods and landslides blocked roads from the main highway to the alternative roads.
The Rajduwali road in the Ilam section of the Mechi Highway has not yet been operational. Despite spending more than Rs 20 million on the road's maintenance in the last one year alone, the road has been repeatedly blocked during the rainy season. The Simalgolai-Tilkeni-Jogmai road, which was seen as an alternative to Rajduwali, has also been hit by floods. The road has been completely closed after the Jogmai Khola diversion was washed away by the flood.
Similarly, the temporary diversion built on the Puwakhola under the Ilam-Jhapa Fast Track has also been washed away. The diversion, which was to be repaired and put into operation during the day, was completely closed overnight due to flooding.
Rain has also disrupted the road network in Panchthar. Hundreds of vehicles going to and from Panchthar and Taplejung to Dharan, Biratnagar and other destinations are stuck on the way due to the blockage of the Tamor Corridor due to flooding in the Nabakhola.
With the closure of the Ilam section of the Mechi Highway, traffic towards Panchthar has also been affected. According to the District Police, Panchthar, regular traffic has not been able to operate on this route for a week.
Rural roads have also been affected by landslides. The Jorpokhari-Ektin-Memeng road has been blocked due to a landslide in the Ektin area of Falelung Rural Municipality-2. Local traffic has also been affected due to landslides in other rural roads in the district.
According to Chief District Officer Basudev Dahal, roads and physical infrastructure are being damaged due to continuous rains. The administration has urged people not to travel unless absolutely necessary as the water level in rivers and streams is rising and to be vigilant in landslides and riverbank areas. Chief District Officer Dahal said that security agencies have been put on alert to deal with potential disasters. Roads including Phidim Phalot and Ranke Ravi are also blocked due to landslides.
