The Besisahar-Chame road, the only land route to link the district of Manang, has been damaged by floods and landslides at several places.
Chief District Officer (CDO) of Manang Rabindra Prasad Acharya said the floods and landslides triggered by torrential post-monsoon rain had severely damaged the road at 12 different places within Manang.
Informing that floods had washed away temporary bridges and road at several places, Acharya said floods and landslides had rendered the highway impassable.
A section of the highway that was damaged by the landslides and erosion was also swept away by the floods in the Marsyangdi River.
Temporary wooden bridges over the Salkyukhola and Timangkhola were also damaged by the floods, said CDO Acharya.
“It started raining from Sunday, and vehicles were operating smoothly till Monday evening. But the heavy rainfall on Monday caused massive destruction in several places. A foot trail has been prepared with the help of locals for pedestrians to commute. Motorcycles can somehow pass the trail,” he said.
A team led by CDO Acharya inspected the flood and landslide affected areas of the district. They had to travel 25 kilometres by foot to monitor the affected places.
The Manang administration stated that it was not possible to repair the road immediately. CDO Acharya said that the road would be repaired immediately after it stops raining.
As soon as the weather improves, JCBs would be used to clear the road, he added.
Citizens have been asked to be vigilant to keep themselves safe from the possible risk of flood and landslide.
The local representatives of Narso Rural Municipality had asked the people to stay safe, as the villages of the municipality are at high risk if the water level in the Marsyangdi River rises.
Manang Deputy Superintendent of Police Subash Khadka said that the landslide had occurred near Koto, Thanchok and Timang in Chame village.
He said the upper part of Talekhu, the road leading to Upper Manang, was damaged by the Marsyangdi River.
The Besisahar-Chame road was restored after four months of disruption on October 4 this year.
Several points of the road were disrupted by monsoon rains. The vehicular movement resumed just before Dashain after conducting the repair work. But the repaired highway operated only for a few days before the surface was again swept away by the recent landslides triggered by post-monsoon rains.
Source : TRN,
