HUMLA: A rockfall Rip in Sarkegad Rural Municipality-2 has obstructed the Karnali Corridor, severely disrupting transportation and stranding passengers.
Two rockslides have occurred along a roughly 100-metre stretch of the road, leaving large boulders that workers have been unable to clear with conventional equipment. Heavy machinery and specialized equipment are required to break and remove the rocks.
The Karnali Corridor connects Jamunaha in Banke district, near the Nepal-India border, with Hilsa in Humla district, near the Nepal-China border.
Bel Bahadur Nepali, chief of the Hilsa-Simkot Road Project, said even an excavator alone would not be sufficient to clear the obstruction.
“An excavator alone is not enough to clear the obstruction. Efforts are therefore underway to blast the rocks using drilling equipment,” he said.
He said preparations were underway for controlled blasting, but weather conditions and technical feasibility would have to be assessed first. If blasting cannot be carried out, it could take nearly a week to reopen the road, he said, adding that adequate funding would also be required for the clearance work.
The blockage has forced travelers to take risky alternative routes to cross the affected section. Local resident Kamal Budha said some people have been using ropes to cling to the cliff and cross the blocked stretch.
Rimi Lal Budha, a teacher at Gyanodaya Secondary School, said he had to negotiate difficult terrain to reach the district headquarters, Simkot, after the road was blocked.
“We requested various authorities, including the District Administration Office, to help clear the obstruction promptly, but our requests were not addressed. We reached Simkot by taking a risky route, using ropes and ladders fixed to the cliff to cross the blocked section,” he said.
The road blockage has severely affected people traveling from Nepalgunj and Surkhet to Simkot and onward to Kailash Mansarovar.
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