Kathmandu, October 7: Construction of a diversion on the BP Highway, which was damaged by floods and landslides caused by continuous rainfall on Ashoj 17 and 18, has begun. The work has started from Chaukidanda in Kavre. The BP Highway is currently completely blocked after the temporary diversion built following last year’s flood was again washed away by the heavy rainfall on Ashoj 17 and 18.

According to Engineer Bindu Adhikari, Information Officer at the Bhaktapur Road Division Office, the diversion construction has begun from Monday under the direction of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, with the aim of resuming traffic before the upcoming Tihar festival. “Since Monday afternoon, after the water flow in the Rosi River decreased, machines were deployed into the river to start the diversion construction. We began work from Chaukidanda. The landslide debris in Mangaltaar has also been cleared,” she said. “All our workforce and equipment are now mobilized. If the weather remains favorable, full-scale work will resume from Tuesday.”

Engineer Adhikari mentioned that because the water flow of the Rosi River has reached up to the riverbanks, constructing the diversion has been challenging. As the diversion must be built along the river’s edge, progress depends heavily on the river’s flow level. According to her, diversion construction has started from Chaukidanda in Namobuddha Municipality, Kavre, up to Nepal Thok, the border between Kavrepalanchok and Sindhuli districts, where the BP Highway has been damaged by floods and landslides.

The continuous rainfall on Ashoj 17 and 18 washed away 16 diversions along the BP Highway. According to the Department of Roads, floods swept away 3,410 meters of diversion sections in those 16 locations. Last year, on Ashoj 12, floods and landslides had damaged the same highway, washing away 5,300 meters of diversion sections in 16 places.

Several alternative roads have been suggested for travel due to the obstruction of the BP Highway. However, taking these routes requires detours of more than 100 kilometers.

According to Engineer Prabhat Kumar Jha, Deputy Director General and Spokesperson of the Department of Roads, travelers to and from Kathmandu can use the Mid-Hill (Pushpalal) Highway from Khurkot in Sindhuli via Manthali in Ramechhap, then take the Lamosangu–Jiri Road and the Araniko Highway as an alternative to the damaged section of the BP Highway. Similarly, vehicles coming from the east can travel from Khurkot through Manthali–Tamakoshi–Charikot–Khadi Chaur–Dhulikhel to reach Kathmandu.

Another route is from Sindhulimadi via the Madan Bhandari Highway to Hetauda, then through Bhimphedi–Kulekhani–Fakhel, or alternatively, from Hetauda via Palung–Naubise to Kathmandu. Likewise, one can travel via the Kanti Lokpath from Hetauda, or take the Bardibas–Hetauda–Narayangadh–Mugling route to reach Kathmandu.

The BP Highway was constructed with assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at a cost of 26 billion Japanese yen from the Japanese government and 1.1 billion from the Government of Nepal. Construction began in the fiscal year 2053/54 BS (1996/97 AD) and was completed on Ashar 18, 2072 BS (July 2015 AD), after which it was formally handed over to Nepal by the Japanese government.

People’s News Monitoring Service.