MYAGDI: Flooding in the Myagdi River at Balaute in Malika Rural Municipality-6 has cut off the Beni-Darwang road and put the nearby Dukhubesi settlement at risk.
The floods triggered by heavy rainfall from September 24 to 27 damaged the Beni-Darwang road, a key transport route connecting Malika, Mangala and Dhaulagiri rural municipalities with the district headquarters, Beni Bazaar. The flooding has also increased the risk of landslides and further damage to the settlement.
Malika Rural Municipality Chairman Beg Prasad Garbuja said the river changed its course after the flood in Armankhola, causing erosion and collapsing part of the road near Dukhubesi.
“The flood in Armankhola changed the course of the Myagdi River, causing erosion and the collapse of the road, disrupting transportation along the Beni-Darwang road,” he said. “Although an alternative route to Tolawang through Dukhubesi can be opened by installing a Hume pipe across Dukhukhola, repairing the main road and protecting the settlement are the only sustainable solutions.”
The alternative road is narrow, unpaved and uneven, with insufficient space for large vehicles to pass. Vehicles become stuck at several points, while sections where Hume pipes have been installed are also vulnerable to flooding.
The road is heavily used by residents of Tamankhola in neighboring Baglung as well as vehicles transporting construction materials and equipment for six hydropower projects under construction in the Myagdikhola basin.
According to Rajesh Ulak, senior divisional engineer and chief of the Infrastructure Development Office, Myagdi, the entire road section near the damaged area has collapsed for about 100 meters. The office is implementing the Beni-Darwang Road Upgrading Project under the Gandaki Province government.
Ulak said walking along the collapsed section is also dangerous and that the road should be rebuilt by constructing a concrete retaining wall along the riverbank. However, the limited space along the bank means that cutting into the slope to rebuild the road could further endanger the settlement.
Malika Rural Municipality-6 Ward Chairman Path Bahadur Roka said the landslide has put Dukhubesi, which is home to around 140 households, at risk.
Residents have called for immediate measures to control erosion, restore road connectivity and protect the settlement.
A team comprising Gandaki Province Assembly member Resham Jugjali (Subin), elected from Myagdi-1 (2), Nawaraj Sharma, secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development and Transport Management, Malika Rural Municipality Chairman Beg Prasad Garbuja, and Senior Divisional Engineer Dr Mahendra Baniya inspected the damaged section of the Beni-Darwang road at Balaute on Tuesday.
MP Jugjali called for road reconstruction, erosion control, settlement protection and restoration of transportation services to proceed simultaneously. He said the road should be reconstructed immediately without putting nearby settlements at risk, vehicles should be allowed to operate before Dashain, and river control measures should be completed before the next monsoon.
Secretary Sharma said the Infrastructure Development Office would begin purchasing gabion nets and arranging workers’ wages using the existing authorized budget under the road repair heading. The ministry would arrange additional resources, while the rural municipality would provide locally available construction materials. Equipment from hydropower projects would also be mobilized to speed up the work.
Sharma said the ministry would immediately repair disaster-damaged road projects in other districts of Gandaki Province as well and ensure that budget shortages do not hinder their operation. Work has already begun in some districts, he added.
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