Kathmandu [Nepal], July 13 – Continuous rainfall has severed road access to Nepal’s eastern districts of Ilam, Panchthar and Taplejung after landslides and flooding blocked the Mechi highway and both of its alternative routes disrupting transport, emergency travel and cargo movement.
According to Laxmi Bhandari, information officer at the District Police Office a previous landslide at Rajduwali in Ilam Municipality-9 collapsed further washing away part of the Mechi highway and rendering the road impassable for all types of vehicles.
Floodwaters also overtopped a diversion on the Godak-Jogmai-Tilkeni road closing one of the highway’s alternative routes. Another diversion over the Puwakhola River on the Kechana-Kanchanjangha highway has been submerged cutting off the second alternative road.
Pawan Bhattarai, chief of the Division Road Office in Ilam said repair work is being carried out whenever rainfall subsides but continuous rain has repeatedly halted restoration efforts. He said preparations are underway to install bailey bridges at Jogmai and Puwakhola but an immediate solution remains unlikely because the arrival date of materials and technical personnel from India has not yet been confirmed.
The transport disruption has prevented freight vehicles from entering Ilam. According to the Ilam Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The chamber said traders had been using smaller vehicles to transport essential goods but with both alternative routes now closed the risk of shortages of fuel and food supplies has increased.
The Rajduwali section of the Mechi Highway regarded as the main transport lifeline of the Mechi region has faced recurring landslide risks during the monsoon for the past three years. Authorities warned that further rainfall could worsen the situation as landslide threats also persist around Puwakhola and Kolbung.
