The Nepalese Army has launched a campaign to repair and reopen roads damaged by recent floods and landslides. Six thousand army personnel have been mobilized to repair highways, strategically important RCC bridges, and rural roads damaged by heavy rainfall on September 27 and 28, according to Brigadier General Gaurav Kumar KC, the spokesperson for the Nepalese Army.

The army had initially prepared to deploy 14,000 personnel for disaster response based on forecasts from the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. Brigadier General KC stated that the army immediately launched search and rescue operations in disaster-affected districts, including Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kavrepalanchok, Sindhupalchok, Makawanpur, Sindhuli, Ramechhap, and Panchthar.

Army engineers are currently working on repairing and reopening key routes such as the BP Highway, Araniko Highway, Mid-Hills Highway, Tribhuvan Highway, and Prithvi Highway, along with rural roads and RCC bridges connecting different districts.

"The Army is also constructing a Bailey bridge over the Sunkoshi River at Khurkot and assisting the Department of Roads in studying damaged sections of the BP Highway along the Roshi Khola Corridor," said Brigadier General KC.

Traffic on the Kanti Highway resumed on Monday evening after landslide debris was cleared. The army is now focusing on reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts after completing the initial phase of search, rescue, and relief operations.

The Disaster Management Directorate, led by a Brigadier General, along with two battalions based in Sundarijal, Kathmandu, and Chitwan, is actively managing the army's disaster response. Stakeholders have highlighted the need for a new strategy to improve disaster preparedness and response, addressing the shortcomings revealed by this year’s floods and landslides. -- RSS