Beni-Jomsom-Korala road damaged at 46 places, full operation a week away

Floods, landslides and river erosion have damaged the Beni-Jomsom-Korala road, a National Pride project, at 46 locations, meaning it will take more than a week for the road to become fully operational.

Korala Road Project Chief Tejaswi Sharma gave this information at a meeting of the District Disaster Management Committee held in Mustang on Monday, chaired by Chief District Officer Ajita Sharma.

According to him, heavy rain and snowfall from Asoj 8 to 11 damaged the road at 5 locations on the Parbat-Maldhunga section, 16 locations from Beni to Rupse in Annapurna Rural Municipality-3, and 25 locations from Kabrebhir to the Korala border point. Debris-laden landslides have damaged the road at Latikhola, Farse, Jukekhola, Kerabari and Lamakhet on the Parbat-Maldhunga section.

Road connectivity on that section has been cut off after floods washed away the access road to the motorable bridge connecting Pokharebagar and Nauli Bazar. The Department of Customs said the road blockage has caused problems for imports and exports through the Korala border point.

The Department of Roads is trying to bring the Kaligandaki corridor into full operation within 3 to 6 days. According to the department, the bridge at Pokharebagar itself is safe. Since it is currently the only operational trade point between Nepal and China, priority has been given to the Korala road.

According to Department Director General Dr. Bijay Jaishi, since the damage is not as severe as in Rasuwa and Nuwakot, the blocked roads will not remain closed for long.