Landslide triggered by heavy rains obstructs Mechi

highway

Ilam. The Mechi Highway, which was blocked due to landslide triggered by heavy rainfall on October 1, is yet to come into operation. Vehicular movement along the Mechi Highway has come to a complete halt due to a landslide that occurred at Ilam-Rajduwali road section of Ilam municipality-9.

Locals and security personnel have been working hard to resume the road for the past one week but to no avail. The technical team of the Department of Roads and the locals are trying to open the road. Pawan Bhattarai, chief of the Road Division Office, said efforts are underway to resume the road. He said that it has been difficult to operate the road due to a big landslide.

“We are working round the clock to open the road”, he said. The road division has used three excavators to clear the landslide.

Assistant Chief District Officer Bholanath Guragain shared that the road traffic has been halted until it is repaired to facilitate the movement of people in a safe manner. “The road section is under maintenance. We have stopped the road operation until the maintenance is done so that the traffic can be carried out safely,” he said.

Major damages have been caused at Rajduwali and Ilam-Nepaltar section of the highway. According to the road division, the obstruction has been removed. Vehicular traffic has been resumed from Panchthar and Taplujeng to Rajduwali Landslide after the removal of the obstruction. Transportation from Jhapa to Maikhola via Fikkal is in regular operation. Commuters from Ilam, Panchthar, Taplejung and Jhapa districts have been affected as the road is still blocked due to the landslide at Rajduwali.

Vehicles heading to Ilam from Panchthar and Taplejung to Jhapa have been stranded at Rajduwali landslide while vehicles heading to Ilam, Panchthar and Taplejung from Jhapa have been stranded at Mairikhola in the district. Commuters are compelled to walk for about one and a half kilometers from the place to the top of the landslide. Security personnel have been assisting in carrying the sick and senior citizens on stretchers from across Maikhola to Rajduwali and from Rajduwali to Maikhola.

The flood swept away Puwakhola under the Mechi corridor (Kechana-Kanchenjunga road) and the Bailey bridge over Jogmai rivulet under the Tilkeni-Simalgo road. Most of the local levels in the district have been cut off from the road network due to floods and landslides. Five out of 10 local levels in the district have been cut off from the road network so far.

Due to the obstruction of the Rajduwali road section, the road of Suryodaya Municipality and Belase road section collapsed, Mai Municipality, Deumai Bridge collapsed, Mangsebung Rural Municipality and Maijogmai Rural Municipality were damaged after the bridge over Jogmai River was swept away.

According to the District Administration Office, 19 small and big bridges, two bailey bridges, 11 culverts and three suspension bridges have been damaged and 31 roads have been damaged. As many as 39 people have lost their lives, 26 have been injured and one is still missing in the floods and landslides. Chief District Officer Sunita Nepal informed that 276 families have been displaced while 151 complete houses have been completely damaged and 327 houses have been partially damaged in the floods.