Incessant rain since Thursday night has triggered floods and landslides at major roads, blocking them in at least 60 places across the country.

As per the ‘highway alert’ issued by Nepal Police on Saturday, the disruptions have greatly hampered traffic movement.

The authorities have urged the people who are travelling to take updates on the road situation from the nearby police station before heading out.

“The damaged roads will be repaired and made functional as soon as the rains stop,” Nepal Police spokesperson Dhan Bahadur Karki told the Post. “If there is no continuous heavy rainfall like we witnessed in the past two days, we expect most damaged roads to be ready for travel, including for Dashain.”

Bus operators who opened ticket bookings for Dashain on Saturday are particularly concerned over the damage caused to the road at Naubise, the main exit and entry point to Kathmandu.

Saroj Sitaula, senior vice-chair of Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs’ Association, says the government should fast-track road repair to facilitate the movement of people at the earliest.

“We understand that this is a natural disaster but the government should not be lethargic in rebuilding damaged road sections. These roads are the lifeblood of millions of people,” Sitaula said.

Dashain, a major festival of the country, this year starts on October 3 and will be celebrated until October 14. Last year, almost 1.5 million people left Kathmandu Valley for their home districts during Dashain. Bus operators expect the number to fall this year due to the poor state of the roads.

Arjun Jung Thapa, a former secretary and director general at the Department of Roads, said that with a strong resolve, the government can repair the damaged roads within days. Soon after this spate of rainfall, the 26-km Muglin-Narayanghat road might be operated one way for a few days while obstacles there are removed. Elsewhere on the Kathmandu-Narayanghat road, repairs will be relatively easier.

“The department of roads is a powerful government agency. It can repair most of the damaged roads in its own capacity,” Thapa told the Post. “But the government should help them procure necessary equipment swiftly.”

But if the government adopts a lacklustre approach, rebuilding of the damaged roads could take months, he said.

Residents of the Valley, including students and others migrated to the Capital from across the country, are estimated to number over 3 million. With major arteries connecting the Kathmandu valley having been severed by floods and landslides, prices of perishable goods like vegetables have already shot up. There are concerns over the availability and affordability of essential supplies in case the crisis situation lingers.

On some roads, bridges have been swept away by floods and it won’t be possible to put them back immediately. “But some bridges that have sustained partial damages can be repaired before Dashain, subject to the government’s will power,” Thapa said.

But will the weather allow such repairs?

The department of hydrology and meteorology says that the monsoon this year is expected to be prolonged beyond the normal exit date of October 2.

But the department expects the rain situation to improve starting Sunday.

“From Sunday, the weather will start to improve, but that does not mean it will be completely dry,” Rojan Lamichhane, a meteorologist, told the Post. “Light to moderate rainfall is still possible in parts of Bagmati, Gandaki, and Lumbini provinces, and parts of the rest of the provinces may witness light to moderate rain along with thundershowers.”

Separately, the government has decided to provide relief to the families of those who lost their lives in floods and landslides.

After continuous rains battered life across the country, acting Prime Minister Prakash Man Singh on Saturday summoned an emergency meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Singha Durbar.

After the meeting, government spokesperson Prithvi Subba Gurung, who is also the minister for information and communications, expressed his condolences to the families who lost their members in the disaster. He said the government would provide immediate relief to the relatives of the deceased persons.

“The government will take the initiative to provide free treatment for the injured and open the blocked roads immediately,” Gurung said. “The government also has decided to postpone various college-level examinations.”

Acting Prime Minister Singh also tried to assure the people saying that all three levels of government are working in tandem to prevent further loss of life and property.