The construction of a corridor road along the Tinau and Danab rivers has begun in Rupandehi district for the sustainable management of the rivers and development of eco-tourism in the area.

According to the Division Road Office in Butwal, 35 kms of the road stretch will be constructed along the Tinau river and 15 kilometres along the Danab river in the first phase. The two-lane road will be constructed on both sides of the rivers.

“Two separate construction companies were awarded the contract to build an eight kilometre-road stretch along the Tinau and three kilometres along the Danab river two months ago,” said Krishna Bahadur Kunwar, the spokesperson at the division office. According to him, the government has a long-term plan to extend the Tinau-Danab corridor road to reach the Nepal-India border through the Marchawar area.

Kirateshwor Mainachuli Abisa JV in September was awarded the contract to construct the eight-kilometre road along the Tinau river at the cost of Rs 524.6 million. The contractor has to complete the construction work within 36 months from the signing of the agreement. Similarly, Lama Baniya JV was awarded the contract to construct the three-kilometre corridor road along the Danab river at the cost of Rs 194.2 million with the deadline of 27 months.

Kunwar said the construction companies have already started work on the road projects.

“Survey work is underway from Zero Point in Butwal Sub-metropolis to Magarghat in Tilottama Municipality along the Tinau river and Belbas to Nayagaun along the Danab river. Construction works will begin once the survey results are out,” said Kunwar.

Locals in the area will benefit from the construction of the Tinau-Danab corridor, as there are no motorable roads at present. “The road project will connect various settlements to the road networks. We are happy with the construction of the corridor road,” said Laxmi Prasad Shrestha, a local of Butwal-13.

The Department of Roads had prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) two years ago for the construction of the Tinau-Danab corridor road. The report shows that it costs around Rs 4.13 billion to complete the construction of the 50 km-long corridor roads. As per the DPR, a retaining wall should be constructed along the banks of the rivers and two-lane roads with the width of seven metres should be constructed on each side of the rivers along with a three-metres-wide berth for plants.

The federal government has allocated Rs 450 million for the construction of the Tinau-Danb corridor in the current fiscal year. According to Kunwar, the finance ministry will release additional funds as per the need of the project.

“Discussions are underway to award contracts for the construction of other road sections as well. The project will be completed within three years if the required budget is released,” said Kunwar.

The government had released Rs 450 million budget for the Tinau-Danab corridor road project in the last fiscal year as well. But the Division Road Office could not sign construction agreements due to eviction issues faced by people living on the banks of both the rivers. According to the office, around 700 houses and sheds should be removed for the construction of the 50km corridor roads along the rivers.

“The contracts have been signed this year, as the local units—Butwal Sub-metropolis, Tilottam Municipality and Sainamaina Municipality—took responsibilities of dismantling the structures for the road construction,” said Jayalal Marasini, the chief at the Division Road Office in Butwal.

The Tinau river, which originates from Palpa district, bifurcates at Tinau Bridge in Butwal, forming Danab river. The Tinau and Danab again merge when they reach Mayadevi Rural Municipality. Floods in the Tinau and Danab rivers wreak havoc in nearby settlements every monsoon.