Vehicular movement in the Dumkibas area has come to a complete standstill after the closure of an alternative route meant for light and medium-sized vehicles.
Authorities in Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East) suspended efforts to rebuild a temporary diversion over the Binayi River on Saturday, June 21. They have decided instead to wait for the completion of a permanent bridge along the Butwal–Narayanghat road, a vital stretch of the East-West Highway.
Daunne Blocked, Binayi Unsafe: Authorities Await New Bridge Amid Highway Chaos
The makeshift diversion had been in use since January 10, when the original 246-metre Dumkibas Bridge collapsed under the weight of a 60-tonne lorry carrying goods for Shivam Cement.
Frequent monsoon washouts had made the diversion increasingly dangerous. The final blow came late Thursday night, when a passenger bus carrying over three dozen people was swept away by the river. All passengers were rescued with the help of an excavator.
Authorities say the new bridge will open by June 30. In the meantime, light vehicles were rerouted through the Hongshi Cement Gate via Sardi to Dumkibas Bazaar, while heavy freight traffic was suspended.
But that alternative route also became impassable on Monday morning.
Superintendent of Police Yadav Dhakal said that a surge in water levels at the Kharange stream in Binayi Tribeni–3 had fully blocked the detour.
Earlier on Saturday, conditions worsened further in the Daunne area, after heavy rainfall turned roads into muddy, unusable tracks. In response, authorities have barred heavy vehicles from the route and imposed a night-time travel ban—from 7 PM to 5 AM—on all other vehicles until further notice.
(With inputs from RSS)
