Obstructed highways after Nepal downpour force travellers to take ‘cling-to-wall’ route

One week after heavy rainfall, major highways in Nepal remain impassable, forcing residents to undertake arduous journeys through challenging terrain, reports 24brussels.

In a particularly difficult case, Sabita Lama navigated through the Roshi River in Chaukidanda, which had previously served as a diversion road. “Last week, I had travelled through this road and it was good, it was before Dashain. Now I have faced difficulties to get across it. Ever since last week’s heavy rainfall, I was stuck in my village. Movement across has been very difficult,” she said.

Severe floods in 2024 had already damaged parts of the BP Highway, prompting authorities to establish diversions. However, residents are again struggling as new diversions are being set up, with many having to cling to rocks to cross sections of the roadway. Motorcycle riders are also risking their safety to navigate the river, while pedestrians resort to wading barefoot through fast-moving waters.

According to Nepal Police, at least nine major highways across the country are completely obstructed. This disruption has severely impacted those traveling from Kathmandu Valley to their villages for the Dashain festival, hampering their ability to return to work and other residences.

“On my way up to here from my home (Kharpachowk), the condition of roads is almost similar as here (Chaukidanda); two to three sections have been badly damaged. The locals themselves have been working to make roads suitable for movement. The road that I left behind is very difficult to travel,” Lama added.

Vehicle operators report delays, especially in eastern Nepal, with vehicles that left the valley failing to return as scheduled. Despite authorities advising alternative routes, inadequate infrastructure has compounded the challenges faced by drivers. “Before the section of road was washed by the river, an average of four to five hundred vehicles used to pass through here. On the very day of the disaster, about one hundred vehicles had got through this section,” stated Shiva Prasad Neupane, a local resident.

A recent report by the World Bank indicated that severe floods and landslides from September 26 to 28 last year, exacerbated by climate change, resulted in damages estimated at 0.8 percent of Nepal’s GDP, totaling around Rs 46.7 billion across various sectors, including infrastructure and agriculture.

The Roshi River’s overflow has led to widespread devastation, sweeping away approximately a 10-kilometre stretch of road from Bhakundebesi to Nepalthok on September 27-28. The Kavre section of the BP Highway has suffered significant damage across numerous locations, including Mamtikhola, Kaldhunga, and Mangaltar.

The recent downpour in October 2025 has once again compromised the diversions established last year, forcing residents to take perilous alternative routes. “People now have to take difficult routes to get through the section. With proper functioning of the road (creating diversion), the situation would further ease. Even the alternative routes don’t have bridges and other infrastructure, and people are not able to pass through the road section,” Neupane, who also serves as a principal at a local school, highlighted.

The BP Highway, constructed with Japanese assistance, began in 1995 and was completed in 2015 at a cost of NRs 21.5 billion. This single-lane, 160 km highway connects Banepa in Kavre to Bardibas in Mahottari, facilitating the shortest route between the eastern Tarai and the capital, Kathmandu.