Long way home this Dasain

An estimated 1.8 million people were expected to leave Kathmandu Valley for their home districts for the Dasain festival this year. But that estimate was made before the devastating floods last week that killed at least 244 people and knocked out roads effectively marooning Kathmandu.

There are still 15 roads and major sections of highways that are blocked, while the Department of Roads and local governments are trying to build temporary roads to bypass the destroyed sections.

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Because of this, only 800,000 people had left Kathmandu Valley till Wednesday, the last day before the Dasain holidays. Domestic airlines are doing brisk business and have added flights to ferry passengers, and Nepal Airlines and Himalaya Airlines are planning to use their Airbus 320 jets to fly to Bhairawa and Pokhara from Kathmandu.

The worst damage is on the B P Highway, a major artery connecting Kathmandu to Eastern Nepal, where at least seven sections have been completely swept away by the flooded Sun Kosi and Rosi Khola. The roads to Bhyakure Khola, Mamti Khola, Kaldhunga, Boksi Kuna, Narke Bridge, Pinthali Besi, and Dalabesi in Kavre are all blocked.

The damage to the Japanese-built BP Highway at various points along the 7km stretch from Chaukidanda in Namo Buddha to Narke in Rosi Municipality is so severe that it may take months for it to be completely repaired.

Many are not waiting for the temporary detour roads to be built and taking a roundabout route via Charikot and the Midhill Highway to head east from Kathmandu. But road conditions even there are bad with numerous landslides. 

On Tuesday, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak visited Sindhuli and said that the BP Highway should be operational within a week with Nepali Army working on the repairs. However, Keshav Sharma, secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure, contradicted Lekhak saying it would be difficult to reopen the BP Highway before Dasain.

The Arniko Highway connecting Kathmandu to the Chinese border at Kodari is also completely blocked at Panchkhal in Kavre and the Liping Bridge in Sindhupalchok. A span of the Sunkosi Bridge connecting the BP Highway to Ramechhap was swept away, and the Nepal Army has built a temporary ramp by filling in a part of the river.

Read also: The revenge of the rivers, Shamshad Ahmad

The road is also blocked at Lubhu Khola in Ramechhap and Phoksintar in Udayapur along the Pushpalal Highway. Some damaged roads are now open for one way traffic and many vehicles are stuck in the mud.

For instance, only one-way traffic is allowed in Lele on the Tika Bhairav road joining southern Lalitpur to the plains. The Midhill Highway is also blocked at Tinghare in Tehrathum, Phidim-2 on the Mechi Highway and Krishnabhir in Dhading on the Prithvi Highway to Pokhara.