Ilam faces isolation risk as key highways crumble

KATHMANDU: Ilam district headquarters risks being cut off from the rest of the country as several sections of the Mechi Highway, the region's main transport lifeline, have become increasingly vulnerable to landslides. If the damaged stretches fail, road links to Ilam, Panchthar and Taplejung could be severed.

The most critical section lies at Rajduwali in Ilam Municipality 9, where nearly half a kilometer of the Mechi Highway has been badly damaged by landslides and erosion. Vehicles are unable to pass safely through the area, threatening to disconnect Ilam Bazaar and the neighboring districts of Panchthar and Taplejung from the Tarai.

The road was heavily damaged by floods and landslides on October 4 and 5 last year. Another spell of torrential rain the previous October had already weakened the same stretch. Since the start of this year's monsoon, Rajduwali, Mil Golai and Banchare Golai in Ilam Municipality 1 have again become highly vulnerable. Another risky section lies at Kolbung cliff in Rong Rural Municipality 4, where landslides threaten to collapse the road from above while the roadbed continues to erode below. A retaining wall about 20 meters long, built only recently, collapsed in a landslide two days ago.

Alternative routes are also unreliable, leaving the Mechi Highway as the only practical connection between the Tarai districts and Ilam, Panchthar and Taplejung. Two Bailey bridges installed along the under-construction Kechana Kanchanjunga Highway, the designated alternative route, have been washed away by floods, halting traffic. The Jogmai River culvert on the Simalgolai Tilkeni road, another alternative to Rajduwali, has also been swept away, leaving Ilam headquarters increasingly isolated before the monsoon has even reached its peak.

Mechi Highway at high risk

Continuous landslides have left the Rajduwali section covered in mud, with fresh rainfall increasing the danger of further slope failures. Last Friday morning, a large boulder rolling down the hillside damaged a vehicle.

Small vehicles continue to use the route with difficulty, but heavy vehicles are struggling to pass. Since the road climbs uphill toward Ilam at the landslide site, trucks often fail to make the ascent. The District Administration Office and the Road Division Office have prohibited heavy vehicles from using the section at night.

Repair work has continued since last year's disasters, but engineers say the challenge remains enormous.

"We need to build retaining walls directly from the river to stabilize the road," said Road Division Chief Pawan Bhattarai. "But floods in the Mai River on Thursday night even washed away construction materials. Since then, work has become both difficult and risky."

Floodwaters carried away wire mesh, pipes, machinery and other construction materials.

"Small vehicles are somehow passing through Rajduwali, but continuous rainfall has severely disrupted repair work," Bhattarai said. "We continue repairs whenever weather permits."

Even a single spell of heavy rain could cause the road to collapse completely. Four separate sections of the highway at Rajduwali continue to deteriorate under the same landslide.

Before this year's monsoon, contractors had begun reinforcing the slope with retaining walls and wire mesh. The Road Division also drilled into the hillside and installed drainage pipes to reduce underground water pressure, one of the major causes of slope failure.

Local residents remain frustrated, saying repeated repairs have failed to provide a lasting solution. They fear Ilam could effectively become an isolated district because none of the connecting roads are dependable.

"It is time to declare Ilam a remote district," said local resident and former central committee member of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, Dhiren Chemjong. "Why has the government failed to properly repair the roads in such an important tourism district? Who will answer that?"

The Mil Golai and Banchare Golai sections of the Mechi Highway also remain unstable, with one-way traffic operating under dangerous conditions. According to Ilam Municipality Ward 4 Chair Nutandev Dulal, another spell of heavy rainfall could block these roads as well.

Fast track completely closed

The Kechana Kanchanjunga Highway, also known as the Ilam Jhapa Fast Track, connecting Jhapa's Kechana to the Kanchanjunga Base Camp in Taplejung, has been completely closed.

The concrete bridge over the Mai River at Belase collapsed during last October's floods. Authorities have begun installing a Bailey bridge over half of the damaged structure, but floods recently washed away the bridge foundation before construction could be completed.

Local resident Sabin Loktam said repeated floods have destroyed every temporary diversion built at the site.

"The biggest problem is that children cannot cross the river to attend school," he said.

According to him, around a dozen students normally cross the river to attend Janata Secondary School. They are now staying home because they cannot safely cross and fear they would be stranded if heavy rain begins while they are at school.

Another Bailey bridge over Puwa River was also washed away during last October's floods. A temporary wooden footbridge and vehicle diversion were later built, but Thursday night's flood destroyed the diversion as well, completely halting traffic along the fast track.

A new Bailey bridge is now under construction at the Puwa River.

Alternative road closed

The Simalgolai Jogmai Tilkeni road, considered the main alternative to the landslide-prone Rajduwali section, has also become unusable.

A Bailey bridge installed there was washed away during last October's floods. The temporary diversion built afterward has now been swept away as well.

Ward Chair Dilip Pradhan of Ilam Municipality 10 said floodwaters in the Jogmai River have made both pedestrian and vehicle movement impossible. A new Bailey bridge is under construction, but it has yet to be completed.

With all major routes blocked or severely damaged, residents of Ilam, Panchthar and Taplejung are expected to face months of transportation difficulties throughout the monsoon.

Delayed reconstruction

The floods and landslides of October 4 and 5 last year caused an estimated Rs 12 billion in infrastructure damage across Ilam, including Rs 7 billion worth of roads and bridges alone. The disaster killed 39 people, left one missing, injured 26, displaced 449 families, and partially damaged 828 houses.

The federal government declared Ilam a disaster affected district for three months following the catastrophe. However, reconstruction was delayed because budget allocations were not released on time, and repair work only gathered pace after the current monsoon had already begun.

Construction materials for Bailey bridges imported from India were also delayed by nearly two weeks due to procedural hurdles at the border.

"We have now received materials for one Bailey bridge, and installation at Belase over the Mai River is our first priority," Bhattarai said. "Had funds and materials arrived on time, the work would already have been completed."

Last January, the federal government approved Rs 2.19 billion for reconstruction, including Rs 1.5 billion for the Mechi Highway, Rs 200 million for the Rajduwali Bridge, Rs 140 million for the Kechana Kanchanjunga Highway, Rs 250 million for the Belase Bridge over the Mai River, Rs 50 million for the Puwa River bridge, and Rs 50 million for the Jogmai River bridge on the Simalgolai Tilkeni road.

The Road Division expects work worth Rs 540 million to be completed during the current fiscal year.

Although the government pledged rapid reconstruction after last year's disaster, much of the damaged road network remains vulnerable, raising fears that this year's monsoon could once again isolate eastern Nepal's hill districts.