Heavy rainfall causes widespread traffic disruption in Kathmandu Valley

Kathmandu, September 29 — Continuous heavy rainfall, flooding, and landslides since Thursday have severely affected daily life across the Kathmandu Valley and the entire country.

In Kathmandu district, various roads have been blocked due to flooding and landslides. The police have stated that efforts are underway to clear the blocked areas and restore traffic.

According to the Kathmandu police, as of 9 AM, traffic disruptions were reported in areas such as Kirtipur, Swayambhu, Nagdhunga, Pharping, Sankhu, Balaju, and Thankot, with some locations now reopened while efforts continue to clear the remaining blockages.

The police noted that a tree had fallen on the road from Balaju to Mudkhu, causing a blockage, but the tree was removed by 8 AM on Sunday, allowing traffic to resume.

On the Kirtipur road section near Chobhar Gate, around 25-30 trees have fallen across the middle of the road, completely obstructing it, and efforts are being made to remove them.

Near the Swayambhu Ichangunarayan Temple, a landslide has crushed homes, causing human casualties, and the police have indicated that rescue efforts are still ongoing at that location. They are also preparing to reopen traffic in that area today.

At the border of Kathmandu and Dhading, landslides at Jhyaplekhola have buried vehicles and blocked the road. The police informed that 14 bodies were recovered from Jhyalekhola on Saturday and sent to Teaching Hospital for postmortem. Similarly, three new bodies have been recovered from Jhyaplekhola landslide. A new landslide occurred near the Nagmandir on Sunday morning, further blocking the road.

Similarly, landslides in areas like Bansbari, Hanumane Bishnukhola, Lamagaun, Kerabari, Salleri Danda, Chhaimale Maitikhola, and Bhandarkharka in the Pharping area have completely obstructed traffic. The police are also using bulldozers to clear the road from Balkhu to Pharping, and they are coordinating with local authorities to open the route from Pharping to Hetauda.

In the northern region of Kathmandu, roads from Sankhu-Shankharapur to Melamchi in Sindhupalchok are blocked in both directions at Chowki Bhanjyang and Nanglebhare. The police informed that efforts are being made to clear the blockages.

Thankot-Chandragiri-Chitlang-Kulekhani route, landslides have occurred at various locations from Paanighaat to Setomato, making it impossible for vehicles to pass.