Kathmandu, October 5
The government has begun preparations to revise road and bridge designs following major flood and landslide disasters in Rasuwa, Bhotekoshi and Kaligandaki.
Officials from the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development said the government is preparing to establish a Maintenance and Disaster Resilience Unit and revise design codes for roads and bridges.
Speaking at a programme organised by the Nepal Infrastructure Journalists Society on Monday, ministry Joint Secretary Bhimarjun Adhikari said floods and landslides have caused billions of rupees in annual damage to road and bridge infrastructure. He said climate change has made the nature and scale of disasters increasingly difficult to predict.
Adhikari said recent disasters have shown the need to review existing design codes, as floods now carry large amounts of sediment and debris. He said roads and bridges in upper catchment areas need designs suited to such conditions.
He stressed that future infrastructure must be climate-resilient and that safety and resilience should be incorporated from the design stage.
Road Department Director General Dr Bijay Jaisi said the department restored basic road connectivity within 15 days of the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli disaster. He said a temporary road at Krishnabhir was designed within three days and brought into operation within weeks.
He also said taller and longer bridges may be required in areas affected by high flood levels, depending on need.
