For the past two weeks, commuters have been encountering significant difficulties as continuous landslides hamper travel on the Narayangadh-Muglin road during the monsoon season.
The landslide near the Tuin river on the Narayangadh-Muglin road has disrupted travel for passengers commuting to and from Kathmandu, the federal capital, and various other parts of the country relying on this route.
Kiran Karki, the head of the Narayangadh-Muglin road project, acknowledged the suffering of passengers on this road section. Chief Karki explained that while the road section already faces challenges during other times, it is particularly vulnerable during the rainy season.
Rajkumar Tamang, the Chief of Chitwan Traffic Office, stated that since the onset of the rainy season, landslides have been occurring frequently along the Narayangadh-Muglin road, occasionally resulting in the closure of the road in one direction.
Despite conducting environmental impact assessments, delays in completing the necessary work have led to further destruction and disaster, negatively impacting the daily lives of the local population.
Narayan Prasad Adhikari, the Head of the District Coordination Committee, expressed concern that if the situation is not addressed promptly, both regular passengers and residents of the federal capital will endure the consequences throughout the next three months of the monsoon season.
Passengers traveling between Kathmandu and Pokhara and those journeying to and from other parts of the country are enduring prolonged traffic jams and making do with basic sustenance such as beaten rice and noodles. Tamang, the Head of the Traffic Office, mentioned that due to the expensive local hotels, stranded passengers resort to consuming these simple meals.
Chief Tamang noted that women, children, and elderly passengers face more difficulties, especially when ambulances carrying patients are stuck for hours due to landslides blocking the Narayangadh-Muglin road near the Tuin river amid incessant rainfall.
The traffic jams have led to missed exams and flight departures for some, while patients suffer due to the lack of necessary medication on the stranded buses.
Kiran Karki, the Chief of the Narayangadh-Muglin Road Project, explained that the continuous landslide of large stones from Muglin, approximately two and a half kilometers from Narayangadh, poses a significant problem. The road has been blocked for extended periods, ranging from 17 to 18 hours, due to heavy rain last week. Tamang, the Head of the Chitwan Traffic Office, highlighted the risk of landslides involving stones from the upper part, regardless of rain. Four dozers, two from Muglin and two from Narayangadh, are on standby. However, traffic congestion makes it challenging to clear the road efficiently, resulting in longer travel times.
Landslide control measures have been implemented at 20 locations along the road since the beginning of the monsoon season. Nevertheless, new areas are prone to landslides, as stated by Karki, the head of the project.
