With the onset of the rainy season, the risk of landslides affecting traffic on various sections of 80 highways across the country has increased. Landslides are occurring daily in the Tuinkhola on the Narayangadh-Muglin road section. The Department of Roads has stated that vehicles are being moved aside with the help of machines and technicians after the landslide. 

As the risk of landslides is increasing in this section, the District Administration Office, Chitwan, based on the information from the Weather Forecasting Division, has been stopping traffic at night. 

According to the information from the Weather Forecasting Division, it will rain on Saturday night and Sunday, traffic has been stopped at night on the Narayangadh-Muglin and Nagdhunga-Muglin roads.

During the monsoon season, the risk of landslides increases in various sections of the Kanti Highway, BP Highway, Nagdhunga-Muglin Road, Koshi, Karnali, Kaligandaki Corridor, Sanfe-Martadi Road, Bhalubang-Pyuthan Road, Surkhet-Nepalgunj Road, Mechi Highway, Narayangadh-Muglin Road, Galchhi-Trishuli-Syafrubensi-Rasuwagadhi Road.

The areas at risk of landslides along the Nagdhunga-Muglin Road, which is being expanded, are Furke Khola, Jhaple Khola, 13 km, Charkilo, Ratmate, near Sheetal Bazaar, near Bishal Bazaar, Jyamireghat, Jawang Khola, Mauba Khola and Ghoptebhir. In Asoj 2081, 35 people died when a microbus and passenger bus stopped in Jhaple Khola along the Nagdhunga-Naubise Road were covered in a landslide. The department said that landslide prevention work is currently underway in the area and that equipment is ready to clear it. 

Since the Nagdhunga-Muglin road is under construction, there is a problem of landslides from new places rather than the identified places, said Sujani Nepal, head of the Federal Road Supervision and Monitoring Office under the Road Department. "The rain has caused problems due to landslides only in a few sections of the highways, and arrangements have been made for landslide clearing machines in such places," he said. "So far, there has not been much of a problem. As soon as the water stops, the landslides are cleared and vehicles are operated." He said that machines and manpower have been kept ready in anticipation of problems during heavy rains.

Kanti Highway, BP Highway, Nagdhunga-Muglin Road, Koshi, Karnali, Kaligandaki Corridor, Safe-Martadi Road, Bhalubang-Pyuthan Road, Surkhet-Nepalgunj Road, Mechi Highway, Narayangadh-Muglin Road, Galchhi-Trishuli-Syafrubensi-Rasuwagadhi Road are at high risk. ‘So far, the road has not been blocked for a long time due to landslides,’ he said, ‘If it rains for a long time, it will take time to clear it, otherwise, since landslide clearing machines have been placed in various places, traffic has not been stopped for a long time.’

Similarly, landslides have been reported in the Kodari section connecting Tatopani checkpoint under the Araniko Highway, disrupting traffic. There is a problem of landslides on both sides of the Kanti Highway in Lalitpur and Makawanpur districts. Every day, landslides occur on this highway, stopping traffic. Vehicles carrying milk and vegetables, in particular, enter the capital through this highway. Rajan Pandey, an engineer at the Kanti Highway Road Planning Office, said that this highway, which carries more than 500 vehicles daily, is prone to landslides every day. “There are problems in Kalche, Takuche, Bhainse and Bhalukhola towards Lalitpur,” he said, “There are more problems in Bhattepakha, Simat and Thingan towards Makawanpur.” He said that the road is opened within 15 to 20 minutes of a landslide in this section. Even if a landslide occurs on the same day, machines are deployed accordingly to operate vehicles, he said. The floods that occurred in Asoj 081 caused landslides in more than a dozen places on the highway, causing problems. Currently, landslide management and road upgrading work is underway on this highway. Pawan Bhattarai, Chief of the Road Division Office, Ilam, said that vehicular movement has been disrupted for a week due to a landslide in the Rajduwali section of the Mechi Highway. ‘Construction work is ongoing on the Rajduwali section under contract, and it is not in a position to open immediately,’ he said, ‘Everyone is working hard even on public holidays, it will take another week for this section to open.’ He said that vehicles are currently being operated through an alternative route.

‘The Tilkeni-Simalgolai road has been operated as an alternative route,’ he said, ‘It has been repaired and vehicles are being operated, there is also a problem of landslides on the Kechana-Kanchenjunga road under the Mechi corridor, and overall, due to heavy rainfall in Ilam, the road is often muddy due to landslides.’ He said that repair work is also underway on this road. With the onset of the monsoon, 155 pieces of equipment have been mobilized on various sections of highways across the country to remove landslides. An additional 122 pieces of equipment have been deployed. The Mechanical Division under the Roads Department has arranged equipment to be able to remove landslides on highways that are at risk of landslides. There are a total of 277 pieces of equipment under the branch.

Deputy Director General and Chief of the Mechanical Division of the Road Department, Bhuwan Adhikari, said that machines have been arranged on highways at risk of landslides. There are 16 Heavy Equipment Divisions and Mechanical Offices across the country. Equipment has been sent to various road sections of the highways under these offices. 

‘Excavators, tippers and trucks have been sent to such places as required,’ he said, ‘Currently, the problem is more in the Kodari section of the Araniko Highway, the road itself has been flooded.’ He said that work cannot be done when landslides occur due to rain and they are removed after the water stops. He said that so far, there has been no landslide that cannot be removed anywhere. 

However, he said that the risk of landslides on the highway will increase if there is continuous rain. He informed that 155 machines have been arranged for various road sections of the highway. "Two loaders and two tippers have been sent to some areas where there is a high risk of landslides," the official said.

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Some of the main road sections where equipment and manpower are deployed for landslide removal:

– Nepalthok-Bhiman of BP Highway

– Khurkot-Ramechhap

– Kirantar-Ramechhap

– Various sections of Araniko Highway

– Kaligandaki Corridor

– Balkhu-Dakshinkali

– Naubise-Gajuri

– Malekhu-Muglin

– Chhahare-Gurjubhanjyang

– Narayangadh-Muglin

– Hilepani-Halesi Diktel

– Jayaramghat-Halesi

– Dharan-Bhedetar

– Chatara-Barahkshetra

– Bhedetar-Moolghat

– Sankhuwasabha of Koshi Highway

– Fikkal-Pashupatinagar of Mechi Highway

– Damak-Chisapani

– Khandbari–Numkhand

– Phidim–Basantapur

– Lahan–Kadamaha–Gaighat

– Mirchaiya–Katari–Ghurmi

– Sawne–Gaighat–Diktel

– Waling–Camy section of Siddhartha Highway

– Naudanda–Nayapul–Kusma

– Putlibazar–Waling

– Maldhunga–Baglung

– Baglung–Beni

– Dumre–Lamjung–Besisahar

– Aanbukhaireni–Gorkha–Ghyampesal

– Aanbukhaireni–Muglin

– Besisahar–Chame

– Gorusinge–Sandhikharka

– Tansen–Tamghas

– Daunne–Butwal

– Pili–Kalikot