Work halted at threelandslide-prone areas

Chitwan, June 30

Three places on the Narayangadh-Mugling road section are highly prone to landslides. Places such as Bhaludhunga, Chaar Kilo and Topekhola are considered landslide prone.

Earlier, realising the threat of landslides at those places, the government had decided to work on adopting preventive measures to stop landslide. Though the work is under way at other places, work at Bhaludhunga, ChaarKolo and Topekhola have been stopped altogether after it emerged that doing anything there was impossible now.

“As per the contract, the company concerned was also supposed to work at Bhaludhunga but as it seemed that doing anything there was impossible now, Bhaludhunga has been scrapped from the contract now,” said the road project chief Rohit Kumar Bisural, adding, “Work is on at 22 other points which are at high risk of landslides. “The work towards stopping landslides had started from April, and wherever the work has been done, no landslides have occurred there,” he said.

New Technical High Himalaya Him Sagarmatha has been entrusted with the work to prevent landslides from Anptari to Chorkhola and New Technical High Himalaya Company for the work from ChorKhola to Mugling for 140 million rupees. Rock bolting, rock netting and slope trimming, among other techniques, are being used to prevent landslides.

“Of the 25 points where there is risk of landslides, work has been completed in all but the three points, which accounts for 90 per cent of the total work related to stopping landslide,” said the project consultant company assistant residential engineer GyanendraGhimire, adding that currently work at Kalikhola and Mugling was on. “As for the three points where it has been impossible to do anything now, we’ll have to wait until the dry season as to do anything,” he said.

The upgraded Narayangadh-Mugling road section is 33.2-km long. Of the total upgraded stretch, 17.1-km was possible only by cutting into roadside cliff, which has created the problem of landslide.

And as stopping landslides at three of those points has been impossible now, it is sure to give a great hassle to the people travelling on this road during this monsoon.