Rita Sharma, a 30-year-old local from Suldanda in ward 6 of Kathekola Rural Municipality in Baglung district, has been suffering from dust mite allergy along with respiratory complications due to the dust and pollution coming from the under-construction Khahare-Ghodabandhe road under the Mid-Hill Highway.

The 20-kilometre Khahare-Ghodabandhe road was opened 26 years ago by the government as a rural road, and later in the fiscal year 2013–2014, it was incorporated into the Mid-Hill Highway with an addition of 5 kilometres. The 25-kilometre road serves as the only connection between the remote wards of Kathekola Rural Municipality and the district headquarters.

Sharma said that the 5-kilometre section within the Baglung Municipality, the district headquarters, has been completed; it has also been blacktopped. But the 20-kilometre section stretching from Khahare in ward 1, ward 2, ward 6, and Ghodabadhne in ward 5 has been left in limbo for 26 years.

“The road connects all the villages and settlements in ward 6 and beyond. Since it is not well-maintained and blacktopped, all the houses and vegetation along the road are blanketed in dust. When viewed from a distance, the entire ward seems shrouded in fog due to the permanent coat of dust,” said Sharma. “Almost every resident of the ward, from children to elderly and those with chronic illnesses, suffer from coughing and breathing problems. When we sit down to eat, the dust contaminates our food,” Sharma added.

According to the Pushpalal (Mid-Hill) Highway Project Office, Baglung, the contract for the 25-kilometre road was awarded to two construction companies on January 27, 2017. Bharat Siddhasai Construction Company was assigned the 13-kilometre stretch from the district headquarters in Baglung Municipality to Suldanda in ward 6 of Kathekola Rural Municipality, while the remaining 12-kilometre section from Suldanda to Ghodabandhe in Kathekola-5 was assigned to Surya Construction Company. Both were supposed to complete the work including blacktopping, by January 27, 2020.

Despite four contract extensions, work on the road barring the 5-km section in Baglung Municipality, remains incomplete. The last extended deadline given to the contractors expired in January 2023.

Kalpana Adhikari, head of Kaski, Baglung, Parbat, and Rukum road sections of the Mid-Hill Highway Project, said that after the fourth extension expired, the Highway Project Office took legal action, blacklisting Surya Construction Company, and scrapped the contract with Bharat Siddisai Construction Company this fiscal year.

“We are working to assign the work to a new contractor. Once the new contract document is approved by the Ministry of Finance, work on the remaining 20-kilometre stretch will resume,” said Adhikari.

According to Brihaspati Kandel, ward chair of Kathekola-6, his ward is the most affected by the dust pollution. Every day, around 500 small and big vehicles use the dirt road, which is full of potholes.

“During the rainy season, traffic jams cause havoc for travelers and local residents cannot even reach the health facilities, and during the winter, the persistent dust causes health problems,” said Kandel.

Kandel said that even though the locals of wards 1, 2, 5, and 6 have protested countless times by blocking the road for a couple of hours a day, the authorities and contractor companies have paid no heed.

“We have submitted a notice to the highway authorities that if they don’t resume work by February 4, then we will strat more stringent forms of protest including blocking the 20-kilometre road, completely disrupting the highway traffic,” said Kandel.

Tanka Kandel, a local of Kathekola-5, said that local farmers produce Rs20 million worth of products, including dairy, fruits, and vegetables, among other things, but have not been able to sell the products due to the dilapidated road and dust.

“The dust pollution has affected the cattle as well. Local residents have been suffering from respiratory and skin issues, among other problems. And several residents have already migrated elsewhere,” said Tanka.

“Children are the most affected due to the pollution,” said Ram Prasad Khanal, public health inspector of the rural municipality.