Authorities ban vehicular movement on BP Highway

KAVRE: Vehicular movement along the BP Highway has been suspended after flooding in the Roshi River washed away sections of the road, including temporary diversions, following heavy rainfall on Friday evening.

Although authorities initially planned to reopen a temporary route once water levels receded, continuous rainfall has delayed restoration efforts.

The District Police Office, Kavrepalanchok, imposed a traffic ban from Saturday night until the highway becomes operational again. Floodwaters destroyed around four kilometers of diversion road between Chowkidanda and Nepalthok, forcing the highway to close from Friday evening.

A joint effort involving the Department of Roads, Nepal Police, Traffic Police, and local residents to rebuild and reopen the route on Saturday was unsuccessful due to persistent rain, said Chief Superintendent of Police Komal Shah. Authorities plan to resume construction of a temporary diversion from Sunday morning if river levels decline.

According to the Division Road Office, Bhaktapur, about four kilometers of diversion, out of the 18 kilometers constructed after last year’s floods and landslides, has been washed away at multiple points.

Although reconstruction began Saturday morning as water levels briefly dropped, continuous rainfall has hindered progress, said Senior Divisional Engineer Suman Yogesh. He added that sections under permanent reconstruction have not been damaged.

Multiple sections of the highway, including Biruwadanda, Kaldhunga, Chowkidanda, and Mangaltar, have suffered damage from floods and landslides.

Following a slight drop in river levels, debris clearance and diversion construction resumed Saturday morning with support from authorities and locals. However, the disaster has already resulted in casualties.

Meanwhile, traffic police have been holding vehicles at key entry points since Friday evening due to the blockage. Vehicles have been stopped at Kavrebhanjyang and Bhakunde in Dhulikhel, as well as at Nepalthok and Mangaltar, which serve as eastern entry routes into the Kathmandu Valley.