Myagdi, October 24
Around Rs 90 million is estimated to be required to reconstruct the Beni–Darbang–Muna road in Myagdi district after floods, landslides and river erosion caused extensive damage to the route.
The road connects Mangala, Malika and Dhaulagiri rural municipalities in western Myagdi with the district headquarters, Beni. It suffered significant damage following continuous rainfall from September 23 to 27, which triggered floods, landslides and erosion along the Myagdi River.
According to the Infrastructure Development Office in Myagdi, around 22 locations along the road from Beni to Muna, the administrative centre of Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality, have been damaged.
Engineer Mohan Ruwali of the office said the disasters had damaged road surfaces, gabion structures, retaining walls and blacktopped sections.
Fifteen locations between Beni and Panabagar in Mangala Rural Municipality-2 were damaged by landslides of varying sizes, while river erosion caused road collapses at two locations. The preliminary estimate puts damage to road infrastructure along this section alone at Rs 30 million to Rs 40 million.
At Balute in Malika Rural Municipality-6, erosion by the Myagdi River has washed away around 100 metres of blacktopped road. Four landslides have also damaged the road between Panabagar and Darbang, disrupting direct transport services between Beni and Muna.
With the road severely damaged between Balute and Tolabang, vehicles are being diverted via an alternative route from the Dukhukhola bridge, located on the boundary of Mangala and Malika rural municipalities, through Dukhubensi to Tolabang.
Rajesh Ulek, senior divisional engineer at the Infrastructure Development Office, said around 100 metres of road at Balute had collapsed due to river erosion, making it difficult to resume regular traffic immediately.
He said walking along the damaged section was also risky. A permanent wall would need to be constructed along the riverbank to restore the road, he added.
According to Ulek, reconstruction of the Beni–Panabagar section is estimated to cost Rs 46.25 million, while rebuilding the damaged Balute section of the Panabagar–Darbang road is expected to cost Rs 22.74 million.
The provincial government has allocated Rs 2.5 million for reconstruction at Balute, with work scheduled to begin immediately after the Dashain festival.
The office said traffic was currently operating in one direction from Beni to the Dukhukhola bridge and then along the alternative route through Tolabang, Darbang and Muna after landslide debris was cleared.
Of the 24-kilometre road from Beni to Darbang, 16.4 kilometres have been blacktopped. The 18-kilometre section from Darbang to Muna remains under construction, except for six kilometres along the Dharapani–Jhin Danda stretch.
The Beni–Darbang–Muna–Jaljala–Dhorpatan road, which is considered an alternative to the Baglung section of the Mid-Hill Highway, is an important route for residents of western Myagdi.
The route connecting Muna to the Dhorpatan Valley through Khoriya, Mareni, Jaljala and Gurjaghat was opened last winter, strengthening the road’s potential as a regional link.
