A passenger bus heading for Dhangadhi, the provincial headquarters of Sudurpaschim, from Chainpur had a narrow escape from a potential accident at the Jalebagar area along Jayaprithvi Highway on Thursday after its rear wheels slipped nearly one metre off the edge of a landslide-hit stretch before the driver managed to deftly manouevre the bus to safety. With continuous dry landslips in the stretch, the bus risked either falling off the edge or being crushed by falling rocks and soil.

“The rear wheel slipped nearly one metre off the road. The driver deftly pulled the bus on the road and averted a big accident,” said Nabaraj Upadhyay, the bus owner who was on the vehicle when the incident happened. The bus was carrying 43 people from Chainpur, the district headquarters of Bajhang.

“A similar incident had occurred three or four times with our bus in the Jalebagar area. We have to risk our lives while passing through the landslide in Jalebagar,” said Upadhyay, raising questions to the authorities concerned about the dire state of the road.

Dry landslides have been ongoing non-stop in Jalebagar over the past three months. The landslide that erupted near Mandi village at ward 2 of Chhabis Pathibhera Rural Municipality stretches up to ward 1. The landslide is about 150 metres long and obstructs the highway almost every day, causing traffic disruptions on the one hand and posing risk to lives on the other. People complain that the authorities concerned remain unfazed about the problem and seek alternatives.

On Wednesday, a Chainpur-bound truck loaded with food essentials met with an accident at Jalebagar. The vehicle got stuck in the landslide area and fell off the road and got stuck in a tree around 50 metres below. The driver sustained injuries. Similarly, a dry landslide at the same place partially buried a passenger jeep on Thursday.

There is huge risk for vehicles and even pedestrians as stones keep on falling continuously in the Jalebagar landslide stretch. “Passenger buses heading to Chainpur from Kathmandu and other parts of the country avoid crossing the landslide stretch at night. They stop on one side of the landslide and we have to cross it carrying our luggage and children. We don’t know when stones fall. The passengers have to risk their lives while passing through this active landslide,” lamented Ramjala Dhama, a passenger.

The security personnel also have a tough time when deployed in the Jalebagar landslide area to clear the debris. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Yubaraj Bhandari, chief of the District Police Office in Bajhang, around six/seven security personnel have to be deployed in Jalebagar area on a daily basis. “The Jalebagar area is at high risk. The landslide is active and a big accident can take place at any time,” said Bhandari. According to him, the district police office had repeatedly asked the division road office and the people’s representatives to resolve the problem, but to no avail.

The Division Road Office in Baitadi, however, has its own view regarding controlling the landslides at Jalebagar. Laxman Joshi, chief of the office, said that a proper geological study of the area is needed before taking any measures to control the landslide. “We are planning to clear the landslide debris and build a gabion wall in the area. A detailed geological study should be conducted before taking long-term solution measures,” he said.

According to Joshi, the road section from Bagthala to Chainpur along Jayaprithvi Highway is highly prone to landslides. “Millions of rupees in funds are required to address the problem. We are coordinating with the Department of Roads regarding the issue,” said Joshi.