Transport services in five districts of Karnali have been at a standstill for a week due to incessant rains and severe weather conditions. Both air and surface transport have been severely disrupted, impacting daily life and essential activities in the region.
Flights to four airports in these districts have been suspended, and vehicles are unable to traverse the Karnali Highway and the Karnali Corridor Highway due to landslides and flooding at multiple locations. This has left many residents stranded and unable to carry out urgent tasks.
Naula Sing Nepali from Chhayanath Rara Municipality-11 has been unable to travel to Surkhet for urgent business due to the halt in both air and road transport services. Similarly, Mohan Shahi from Tallekh, Chhayanath Rara Municipality-10, missed his Teacher Service Commission examination on July 6 because he could not reach the exam center in Surkhet. Many others have also missed important exams and appointments.
The transport disruption has had a significant impact on patients needing to travel to provincial and federal capitals for treatment, and employees with important work engagements. Vehicles carrying daily essentials and construction materials are stranded, raising concerns about a potential shortage of necessary goods in the market.
“If the road transport halted for a week now is not resumed, then there will be a shortage of daily essentials in the market,” expressed Kamal Bahadur Budha, President of Mugu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Bir Bahadur GT, an engineer at the Road Division Office in Jumla, reported that the Karnali Highway is obstructed due to flooding, landslides, and debris flow at 12 locations, including Khola, S-mode, Jhamla Khola, Dahi Khola, Hulma in the Kalikot section, and Patarkhola in the Dailekh section. The Office has mobilized excavators to clear the debris and reopen the roads for traffic.
Air transport services to Rara Airport in Mugu, Simkot in Humla, Jumla Airport, and Jufal Airport in Dolpa have been suspended for a week due to adverse weather conditions, according to Shree Krishna Rijal, Chief of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Mugu. Additionally, rural roads connecting villages to district headquarters remain obstructed by continuous rainfall.
The ongoing severe weather and transport disruptions highlight the urgent need for infrastructure improvements and contingency planning to better handle such natural challenges in the future.
