Highway clearance work speeds up as rain stops; Prithvi Highway set to reopen today

With the rain having stopped, work to clear major highways and roads blocked by floods and landslides has been intensified. Preparations are underway to reopen the Prithvi Highway and other roads for vehicle movement by this afternoon.

Police say the main highways and road sections that had remained closed for five days due to floods and landslides will reopen in phases from today. According to Dhading Police, along the Muglin–Kathmandu section of the Prithvi Highway, a landslide at one location still needs to be cleared, while landslides at other locations have already been cleared.

Continuous rainfall had caused landslides at several points along the Prithvi Highway, and in some places floods had cut the road or washed away diversions, disrupting traffic. Landslides had blocked seven highways connecting the Valley.

After the main road was blocked, the Tribhuvan Highway again became the key alternative route for travel to and from the capital. According to the Area Police Office, Muglin, cargo vehicles heading toward Kathmandu on Sunday were stranded at Kurintar in Ichchhakamana Rural Municipality-4, Chitwan.