KOHALPUR, Aug 30: Continuous rainfall in Western Nepal since the past few weeks have caused several potholes in the East West Highway making transportation riskier for the commuters. Certain section of the highway has been affected by floods as well.
The delay in repair and reconstruction has further enlarged the size of the potholes. There are hundreds of puddles and bumps in the highway starting from Shivakhola of Banke to Mankhola of Bardiya. It has been three weeks since the area got flooded but no efforts have been taken to clear the debris and repair the potholes. The commuters speculate that this highway might turn into a death trap if this goes unchecked.
Do people have to die for potholes to be filled?
Even after being aware about the pathetic condition of the road and the problems of the commuters, officials at the Road Division Office (RDO), Nepalgunj have made no efforts to ease the transportation woes.
As the flood has swept away the gravel on top of the roads, it has been challenging for vehicles to travel on these roads. Drivers lament that they have been plying vehicles on this highway by risking their lives.
"It becomes a real trouble when we try to give side to the vehicles coming from the opposite direction," said Ganesh Gurung, a driver. According to him, the highway poses more risk to small vehicles like cars, jeeps and motorbikes.
As the vehicles often get stuck in the muddy holes and bumps, travelling has been lengthier for the passengers. Arjun Kumar Bam, division chief of RDO, Nepalgung-3, informed that the office is planning to repair the roads soon.
"We will fix all the potholes within the next two weeks," he claimed. The recent flood had washed away several parts of the road obstructing vehicular movement and also damaging the road sections. Though vehicles have been ply the road after fixing the pits, commuters say that this won't be a permanent solution to the problem.
