Roads that are not maintained cause traffic jams, lengthen journeys and pose safety risks. If you get stuck in one place, the rest of the journey will not be smooth. Therefore, the cooperation of the responsible agencies of the government and local citizens is necessary for regular maintenance. It combines responsibility and belonging.
Even after the first week of October, the effects of the rains have been seen on the main highway. Traffic has been disrupted due to landslides on several highways. As a result, the passengers have to face obstacles for hours. Around Dasain alone, around 2 million people go to different districts from Kathmandu Valley.
The number of passengers going to their destinations from other parts of the country also increases rapidly at this time. Public and private vehicles also ply more. But at the same time, the travel plans of millions of passengers have been affected due to road blockage.
Those who have embarked on a journey are more likely to have a difficult journey. Alternative routes are being used to bypass the barriers in some places. However, it increases the travel time. Also adds security risk. Therefore, the government should make maximum efforts to open the blocked roads. It should also be made safe. It is advisable for travelers to go on a journey only after analyzing the road conditions and safety.
After 54 hours, the landslide in Tuin Khola under Mugling-Narayanghat road section located in Ichchakamana rural municipality-5 of Chitwan has opened from Thursday night. Due to the landslide, the Koshi Highway at Bhotkhola Rural Municipality-4 Varun of Sankhuwasabha, the Koshi Highway at Makalu Rural Municipality-3 of Sankhuwasabha at Ekuwa have been completely blocked.
Similarly, Miteri bridge connecting Nepal-China at Gosainkund Rural Municipality-2 Pasanglhamu Highway in Rasuwa and Madhyapahari Lokmarg located in Bhume Rural Municipality-4 in Rukum East have been completely blocked. Similarly, east-west highway in Nawalparasi East, Kaligandaki Corridor in Baglung, Trishuli-Meilung road in Rasuwa are operating in a one-way manner.
Moreover, there is a problem in the neighborhood when it rains in the Narayangadh-Butwal section. However, some roads are blocked for a few hours and come back into operation. However, the mentioned details convey the message that you should get an update on the road conditions before setting out on your journey.
At this time, it is necessary to work by looking at the current and long-term interests. Immediately, wherever there is an obstacle, measures should be taken to operate the road in two directions as much as possible, at least in one direction. The Tuin River on the Mugling-Narayanghat road section was blocked after a landslide occurred last Friday. Even though the landslide has been removed in the middle, the re-falling has caused more disruption. After the obstruction started, although there were not many buses and passengers, the trucks carrying goods were stuck in the jam.
Since there are roads used by many travelers leaving the capital for Dasain, the matter of clearing the obstacles here should be a priority of the government. In addition to this, wherever there are complete or partial obstructions, they should also be made operational. As the traffic of people traveling for festivals is high, such roads should be made operational in a manner that ensures safety, not in an arbitrary manner. All parties should be aware that the festival is also a time of high accidents.
The long-term strategy is linked with road construction methodology. Potential natural hazards are not thoroughly explored during most of our road constructions. This is also the reason why landslides often occur on roads. If problems such as landslides, landslides or collapses were to be seriously forecasted, reliable risk reduction measures could have been adopted. Roads cannot be protected from all kinds of natural hazards. But it is not natural for a landslide to fall on the road within a few hours of rain, or the road to be flooded or washed away.
It seems that there is a need for more studies before road construction and to establish a strong and binding basis for quality assurance during construction. Within a few weeks or months after the completion of construction, problems such as peeling, potholes, and flooding have started to become common. This conveys the message that there is a tendency to compromise quality during road construction and that it has become normal. Therefore, citizen monitoring and state provisions for quality assurance need to be made practical but not rigid.
Even in terms of regular road maintenance, we have not developed a strong system. Anywhere there are potholes on the roads, water freezes there, and even if they are further damaged, they are not repaired. If the repair could be done immediately, the work could be completed with little investment and effort. But the passengers are getting harassed when repairs are delayed or not.
Unrepaired roads lead to traffic jams, travel delays and safety risks. If you get stuck in one place, the rest of the journey will not be smooth. Therefore, the cooperation of the responsible receiving agencies of the government and local citizens is necessary for regular maintenance. It combines responsibility and belonging.
