BAJURA, JULY 19

As the Martadi-Kolti road section has been obstructed since one month due to incessant rainfall followed by landslides, more than 50,000 locals in the northern parts of Humla, Mugu and Kalikot districts of Karnali Province have been badly affected.

Daily wage earners have been facing problems making ends meet for the last four months due to the prolonged nationwide lockdown. Now, the landslides have added to their woes.

Bire Sharki, a daily wage earner at Budhinanda Municipality, said he would be able to manage meals for his family if vehicles could operate. “But transportation service has been obstructed due to landslides along the road section,” he added.

The road section has been completely obstructed due to floods and landslides in many places. Tractors loaded with relief materials are stuck on the road.

Trucks loaded with relief materials and safety health materials offered by non-government organisation — International Nepal Fellowship — are also stuck on the road.

The trucks were heading towards Budhinanda Municipality to distribute the materials to 410 families in the municipality.

INF, Bajura Capacity Development Officer Tilak Bhandari said the trucks were stuck on the way to Kolti and Budhinanda Municipality and the materials could not reach the targeted groups.

Another non-government organisation — Nepal Rastriya Dalit Samaj Kalyan Sangh has also decided to offer relief materials to 551 families of Khaper Rural Municipality and Budhinanda Municipality. District Programme Coordinator Roshan Khadka said that the relief materials were stuck in Martdai due to the obstruction.

The 42-kilometre road stretch was inaugurated 21 years ago, but has not been completed. Locals said the road remained incomplete even though Ra 35 crore was spent on it in the past 21 years.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 20, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.