A new track has been constructed to resume transportation along the BP Highway, which was ravaged by floods and landslides in September last week. Vehicular movement has now come into operation through the new track two weeks after the devastating floods and landslides.

The recently opened track, however, is not without its downsides. “I thought that I could reach Kathmandu in around five-six hours,” said Arjun Karki, who was heading to Kathmandu from Okhaldhunga on Wednesday. “But it seems that it is not possible to reach the national capital even within 10 years,” Karki added, sarcastically.

The devastating floods and landslides had swept away around 10 kilometre-long road from Bhakundebesi to Nepalthok on September 27-28. The road was washed away in some places and was severely damaged in others.

Keeping in view the people visiting home during Dashain festival, the new track was opened through the damaged road section. The hastily constructed track is narrow, quite rough, dusty and full of potholes, causing hour-long traffic jams. The vehicles have to wade through the streams while passengers have to get off the vehicles in some places along the road stretch.

“I set off for Kathmandu as I heard that the highway [BP Highway] was opened but the travel is quite risky and time consuming,” said Karki, who the Post reporter met at Narke of Roshi Rural Municipality-9 on Wednesday. Karki added that it is not possible to take patients to the health institutions timely through the highway anytime soon.

Another passenger, Rustam Lama, who was heading to Kathmandu from Dhanusha, shares a similar ordeal. “Even the light vehicles struggle to navigate the steep dirt track,” he said. “Passengers are asked to get off and push the vehicles. We got off the vehicle in two places. I chose to travel through this highway thinking that it is the shortest route to reach Kathmandu from eastern Tarai. But I was wrong and I learned it the hard way.”

Meanwhile, Prakash Tamang, who was on his way to Kathmandu from Ramechhap on a motorcycle, was covered in dust. “I decided to use the highway upon knowing that a new track was opened but it was a mistake,” Tamang said. “The track is not good for two wheelers.”

But the track is not good for four-wheelers either, as reports Bhim Bahadur Sunuwar, who was driving a passenger jeep en route to Phikkal of Sindhuli from Kathmandu. “We are caught in jams for hours,” Sunuwar said. “The track is quite accident prone as well.”

The Kavre section of BP Highway was badly damaged in Mamtikhola, Kaldhunga, Boksikuna, Narkepul, Pinathalibesi, Dalabesi, Bhyakurekhola, and Mangaltar, among other places. The roads were swept away in these areas. According to the Road Division Office in Bhaktapur, diversions have been constructed in the affected area to resume transportation along the highway. It is suspected that it will take months, if not years, to reconstruct the disaster-ravaged highway to its previous condition.

Kavre is the worst hit district by the floods and landslides that struck various parts of the country in the last week of September. A total of 78 people were killed in Kavre alone while the rain-induced disasters ruined various infrastructures including houses, roads, drinking water projects, and utility poles. The most affected areas in the district include Panauti Municipality, Bethanchowk Rural Municipality, Temal Rural Municipality and Mandandeupur Municipality, with the highest number of casualties reported in Panauti.

Preliminary data shows that around 3,000 to 3,500 houses were completely destroyed while 6,000 to 7,000 others were partially damaged by the disasters in the district. According to the District Administration Office in Kavre, the government authorities and non-governmental organisations have distributed shelter kits, tarpaulins and food items to the displaced families.