KATHMANDU, Sept 8: Work to remove a dangerous section of slope at Tuin Khola along the Narayangarh Muglin road section resumed today. Traffic has been partially halted since Monday to allow the work, and a backhoe hammer is now being used to bring down the unstable slope.
According to Arjun Ghimire, an engineer at the Division Road Office, Chitwan, workers began removing loose sections of the slope with hand tools during scheduled road closures from Monday. Six backhoe hammers are being deployed from today. Contractors have also been instructed to be ready to bring in additional equipment if needed.
Technicians and workers are working on the steep slope while suspended from ropes. The Division Road Office began the work because the site is considered highly vulnerable to landslides. The partial traffic closures were introduced while the Prithvi Highway at Krishnabhir was already blocked by a landslide, providing an opportunity to carry out preventive work at Tuin Khola.
11 bridges built, 2 under-construction on Pokhara-Muglin road
The local administration has partially closed the Narayangarh-Muglin road section since Monday morning. Traffic will be allowed to pass from 8:00 to 8:30 am, 10:30 to 11:00 am, 1:00 to 1:30 pm, 3:30 to 4:00 pm, and from 6:00 pm until 6:00 am the following morning. During the remaining hours, traffic will be stopped so that landslide prevention work can continue.
Large landslides at the site on September 19 and 23 last year blocked the road for 104 hours. Ghimire said the current work is focused on preventing landslides from the slope on the Muglin side of the river. The unstable section is about 105 metres high and 165 metres long.
The site became highly vulnerable after the hillside was cut during road expansion several years ago. A major landslide occurred there unexpectedly last year. Workers are first removing loose rocks, soil and other unstable material from the slope and will then clean the entire section.
After that, workers will drill rods into the slope and install external mesh to hold the hillside in place. The technique is known as slope nailing.
The Division Road Office had invited bids worth Rs 222.1 million for the project, with a 10-month completion period. The contract also includes landslide prevention work on the hillside on the Muglin side of Namsi Khola.
A total of 43 locations along the road section have been identified as having moderate to high landslide risks. Eight of them have been classified as high risk.
