Landslides block Helambu-Kathmandu road

RSS

MELAMCHI, Aug. 28: Movement on the Helambu-Kathmandu Highway has come to a complete halt since Monday due to landslides triggered by incessant rainfall in recent days.

According to Helambu-Kathmandu transport services committee, the Melamchi-Pankhal portion of the road has collapsed and the Indrawati river has eroded its banks on both sides completely disrupting transport services along the route.

As long as a bridge over the Cha river is not re-constructed, transport services cannot resume on the highway, it is stated.Meanwhile, the Melamchi and Indrawati rivers swollen by heavy rainfall recently have eroded thousands of hectares of arable land with standing paddy.

The flooded Indrawati has also damaged a bridge at Larke that links Bhotang and Bahaba, another suspension bridge linking Melamchi and Jyamire VDCs and a reservoir dam of the Indrawati third hydro-power project. Landslides at different places triggered by the incessant rain has resulted in damage to the construction site of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project, swept away parts of the Melamchi road and affected more than 500 households of Jyamire, Melamchi, Banshbari and Badegaun VDCs, accordidng to Melamchi area police.In Charikot, twelve families of a Bhishowkarma locality in Khoronde, Shailungeshwor VDC-3, Dolakha district have been dislodged following a havoc making landslide triggered by torrential rain few days back.The landslide has damaged more than 60 ropanis of arable land too.Some 19 households had been having their permanent residences in the locality.Nepal Red-Cross Society Dolakha branch had provided some relief materials to the victims recently, said society president Tirtha Narayan Manandhar.

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