BENI: A bench-cutting method has been adopted to control landslides at Sirubari in Ward 2 of Raghuganga Rural Municipality along the Beni–Jomsom–Korala Road under the Kali Gandaki Corridor.
The technique has been used for the first time by the project to address frequent road blockages caused by landslides during the monsoon season.
Bench cutting, a method in which steep slopes are cut into step-like terraces to stabilise the terrain and control landslides, has been applied as a temporary solution. Although an estimated Rs 600 million is required for a long-term solution to the roughly 300-metre landslide-prone section at Sirubari, the project has adopted the method using its internal budget due to a lack of secured funding.
According to project chief Tejaswi Sharma, terraces have been constructed on the steep hillside to prevent falling debris from directly reaching the road.
“Due to the lack of a large budget, we adopted this method as an immediate and low-cost measure to control landslides,” Sharma said, adding that the terraces help prevent rocks and soil from falling onto the road while also managing water flow from above.
The bench-cutting work, which began in March with the deployment of dozers, has recently been completed.
Previously, landslides from nearly one kilometre above the road in the Sirubari area frequently blocked the route. Over the past three years, the road has been obstructed almost daily during the monsoon, leaving pilgrims and tourists travelling to Mustang District as well as cargo containers transporting goods from Korala Border Point stranded along the route.
Project information officer Jem Kumar Baitha said a seven-metre-wide space has been left along the edge of the 17-metre-wide road to create a catch pit where landslide debris can accumulate.
Technical officials say that by converting the steep slope into step-like layers, the upper soil mass can be stabilized and the chances of soil slipping significantly reduced.
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