Floods and landslides block 31 road sections

KATHMANDU : Roads in 31 places across the country have been blocked due to the floods and landslides till Thursday evening. Of them, 15 road sections have been brought into one-way operation.

The Department of Roads (DoR) has stated that 31 road sections of various highways have been blocked due to the recent floods and landslides and four road sections have been brought into two-way operation by Thursday evening. 12 sections have not been opened yet.

The continuous rains since June 14 have destroyed roads and bridges across the country. Deputy Director General of the DoR Bhuwan Adhikari said that the department was trying to open the blocked roads by mobilizing all its manpower and equipment. “The department is using all available resources to operate the landslide-affected roads as soon as possible,” he said. “The rains and landslides have not stopped because of which the work is not going as fast as expected.”

According to the Roads Department, the landslide affected Sanphebgar-Martadi-Kolti highway, Dumre-Besisahar-Chame highway, Panchkhal-Melamchi-Timbu section, Baglung section of Pushpalal (Mid Hills) highway, Kathmandu-Dhulikhel-Dolalghat, Khadichaur-Kodari section under Araniko highway. The Amelia-Tulsipur, Shitalpati-Tharmare Musikot section, Chinch-Kudu-Jajarkot-Dunai, Dho-Tinje-Maris roads under Rapti highway have been blocked.

These roads have been damaged by landslides and floods. The floods have also blocked the Murtiya-Gulariya section, Khodpe-Chainpur road section, Jamunaha-Nepalgunj Kohalpur-Surkhet, Khulal-Hilsa road section under Karnali Highway. The Surkhet-Dailekh, Mahavulekhgalje, Nagma-Gamgadhi-Nakchenagra sections have also been blocked due to the floods and landslides.