Major Highways Blocked by Floods and Landslides amid Dashain Exodus

Thousands of homebound Dashain travelers have been hit by major traffic disruptions after heavy rains triggered floods and landslides, blocking key highways across Nepal.

According to Nepal Police Headquarters, five major highways were fully closed on Wednesday. The Koshi Highway is blocked in Bhotkhola Rural Municipality-4 and Makalu Rural Municipality-3 of Sankhuwasabha.

The Mugling–Narayanghat road section in Ichchakamana Rural Municipality-5 of Chitwan and the Mid-Hill Highway in Bhume Rural Municipality-4 of Rukum East are also impassable, said Central Police Spokesperson and Deputy Inspector General of Police Binod Ghimire.

Other highways have also been affected but partial movement is possible. The East-West Highway in Nawalparasi East, the Kaligandaki Corridor in Baglung, and the Trishuli–Mailung road in Rasuwa are currently open for one-way traffic.

Meteorologists warn that the monsoon, which usually retreats around October 2, remains active and is likely to linger longer than usual this year.

Meteorologist Sanjiv Adhikari at the Weather Forecasting Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology told the state-run national news agency RSS that the monsoon shows no immediate signs of withdrawal. Monsoon generally retreats from Nepal around October 2, but this year’s departure is likely to be delayed.

Coincidentally, the Dashain tika or the main day of celebration falls on October 2 this year. This year’s Dashain began with the rituals of Ghatasthapana on September 22.

Even before the onset of Dashain, around 189,218 people left the Kathmandu Valley since last week to celebrate the festival.

According to the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, a total of 29,360 public vehicles carried the outbound passengers from September 17 to 21, with the numbers expected to rise by September 29, which marks the beginning of public holidays for celebrations.

Government authorities have urged travelers to use alternative routes at places where traffic has been disrupted.