KATHMANDU: Authorities have urged travelers to check road conditions before using the BP Highway as unseasonal rainfall continues to disrupt traffic along the route.
The District Security Committee has imposed an indefinite ban on nighttime travel along the highway starting Tuesday. Vehicular movement has been halted daily from 5:00 pm to 5:00 am due to increased risks caused by rainfall.
According to DSP Rabin Bista, Information Officer at the District Police Office, flooding in the Roshi River has raised water levels, sweeping away temporary diversions and obstructing the road. Authorities say traffic will resume based on weather conditions.
Meanwhile, passengers stranded along the highway due to Monday’s rainfall were rescued overnight. A joint team from the Nepali Army, Nepal Police, and Armed Police Force safely evacuated 89 passengers from five microbuses around 1:00 am from the Laskot–Ghumaune section in Roshi Rural Municipality–7.
Following the flooding, security agencies had halted movement in the affected area from 5:00 pm on Monday. Vehicles were held at key entry points including Dhulikhel, Kavrebhanjyang, Mangaltar, and Nepalthok in Sindhuli.
Police have advised the public to travel only during daytime after confirming road conditions and have appealed to avoid the route until further notice.
Frequent flooding in the Roshi River has repeatedly washed away temporary diversions along sections of the highway between Chaikidanda in Namobuddha Municipality, Kavrepalanchok, and Nepalthok in Sindhuli.
The highway had already sustained major damage last year when floods and landslides swept away around 18 kilometers of road in Chaikidanda, Roshi, and Nepalthok areas. Temporary diversions are currently in use, while permanent reconstruction is underway, according to the Division Road Office, Bhaktapur.
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