KATHMANDU: A section of the Mechi Highway in Ilam has been closed to all traffic after continuous rainfall caused severe road subsidence, disrupting road connectivity between Ilam, Panchthar, Taplejung and Jhapa.
Chief District Officer Laxman Dhakal said the Golakhark–Rajduwali section in Ilam Municipality-9 was closed indefinitely after the road deteriorated further overnight.
According to Dhakal, heavy vehicles have been unable to use the road for the past four days. Although motorcycles were allowed to pass until Sunday, authorities halted all vehicular movement from Monday after the risk increased.
“The road has continued to subside and landslides have become more frequent due to persistent rainfall,” Dhakal said. “Considering the growing risk, we have closed the road section indefinitely.”
The closure has severed road links between Ilam district headquarters, Panchthar and Taplejung with Jhapa. A large number of freight trucks and other vehicles travelling to and from the eastern hill districts have been stranded on both sides of the Mai Khola.
Alternative routes have also been disrupted.
The Jogmai Khola diversion along the Tilkeni–Simalgola road, which had been serving as an alternative to the Rajduwali section, was washed away by flooding on Sunday. Similarly, the diversion over the Puwa Khola on the Kechana–Kanchenjunga Road (Mechi Corridor), another shorter route linking Ilam and Jhapa, has also been swept away, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police Laxmi Bhandari of the District Police Office, Ilam.
Road Division Office Ilam chief Bhawan Bhattarai said civil structures for installing Bailey bridges over the Jogmai and Puwa rivers had been completed about one-and-a-half months ago. However, the bridge components, which are being provided by the Indian government, have yet to arrive, delaying restoration work.
With all road access cut off, travellers on urgent journeys have been forced to cross the landslide-hit Rajduwali section on foot before continuing to their destinations.
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