Vehicular movement has been disrupted along the Beni-Jomsom road section as floods and landslides triggered by incessant rains damaged roads at several places on Sunday.

The rain-swollen Begkhola swept a road away at Raghuganga Rural Municipality-1, disrupting vehicular movement and stranding hundreds of passengers.

“Water level in the Begkhola has risen significantly as it has been raining continuously in the area since Sunday. All motorable bridges have been blocked or swept away due to the floods,” said Shanta Nepali, the school headmaster of Gyan Prakash Secondary School in Raghuganga. “Floods in the Begkhola disrupt transportation every monsoon season, hampering the movement of tourists and the residents of the northern part of Myagdi and Mustang.”

Similarly, landslides have blocked the Beni-Jomsom road in several places. According to Indra Singh Sherchan, field supervisor of the Beni-Jomsom road project, massive landslides have blocked roads at Tatopanibhir of Annapurna Rural Municipality-2 and Guithe as well as Kaprebhir of Annapurna-3.

“Transportation cannot resume any time soon as it has been raining continuously in the area for days,” said Sherchan.

Vehicular movement has come to a halt along the Beni-Darbang road section, as the road has been blocked by multiple landslides. According to Raju Pandey, the ward chairman of Mangala Rural Municipality-2, landslides have blocked the road section at Phaparkhet, Bangepahiro and Simi.

According to him, the flooded Dukhukhola has eroded the embankment, leaving a motorable bridge in Sahashradhara at high risk of being swept away.

“Floods and landslides caused by continuous rains have blocked the Beni-Jomsom and Beni-Darbang road sections. The water-induced disasters have disrupted transportation on other rural roads as well,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Tilak Bharati. According to him, efforts to remove debris and resume transportation along the roads have been hampered due to unabated rainfall.

Likewise, floods and landslides have damaged the Besisahar-Chame road, which connects Manang, a mountain district, with the rest of the country.

Floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains on Sunday night swept away around 75 metres of the road at Koto in Chame Rural Municipality-3, Manang.

“The damaged road has been made operational with the help of an excavator. But the topography of the area is fragile and the road will be swept away again if the rainfall continues,” said Lokendra Ghale, the chairman of Chame Rural Municipality. According to him, unusual floods in a local rivulet at Koto have wreaked havoc in the area.

Likewise, transportation along the Lamjung section of the Besisahar-Chame road has been disrupted as landslides damaged the road near Rambazaar and Ghoptebhir of Marsyangdi Rural Municipality-4.

The 65km long Besisahar-Chame road section is prone to floods and landslides every monsoon season.

“The road is often disrupted by floods and landslides in the monsoon season,” said Achyut Bilas Panta, chief engineer at the Dumre-Besisahar-Chame road project. “We try our best to clear the blocked road immediately with the help of excavators but it’s not always possible.”

(With input from Aash Gurung in Lamjung)