Bajura, April 15
Bajura's Sanfe-Martadi road section is at high risk of landslide.
According to the Road Division Office, Sanfebagar in Achham, some 1 km stretch of the road section at Amkot in Budhiganga Municipality is at high risk of landslide. Amkot section of the highway is the point where the road was badly damaged and transportation was completely disrupted for four months in the previous monsoon.
According to Chief District officer Krishna Gaihre, consultations with the Department of Road regarding the need to open an alternative route is under way. "Since the road stretch that was repaired earlier has now started to cave in, we can imagine what will happen in the upcoming monsoon," said CDO Gaihre. "There have been talks regarding the plan to open a route some 5 km above the existing route, but nothing conclusive has happened so far."
If the road is disrupted, it will affect transportation to the district headquarters Martadi and neighbouring districts, including Mugu and Humla. In the previous monsoon, the region had witnessed extreme shortage of daily essentials such as food and medicines.
Businessman Hansha Bahadur Singh underscored the need to take prompt initiatives to open an alternative route.
"It's obvious that the road will be completely inoperable during the monsoon, so we must open an alternative route before the monsoon," he opined.
The road at Amkot was damaged during the monsoon last year after landslide debris blocked the Budhiganga River, thereby causing the river to inflate and erode its banks. While one person died in the floods in the river, seven households of Amkot, Budhiganga Municipality, were displaced.
