Major Landslide Control Project Begins on Arniko Highway Near China Border

Kathmandu. Formal work has begun to control the 'Echo Landslide' that has been causing terror in Kodari, the border area with China along the Arniko Highway, for the past decade. The Division Office of Roads, Charikot, has initiated Nepal's largest slope stabilization project at a cost of approximately NPR 470 million.

This landslide, affecting a 113-kilometer stretch of the highway, started sliding 8-10 years ago, completely damaging the road and putting more than 250 houses in the upper region at high risk. Last monsoon season, when the landslide intensified, local residents blocked the highway demanding a long-term solution.

Following this, a team including the Director General of the Department of Roads reached an agreement with the locals and moved forward with this ambitious plan after securing the budget from the Ministry of Finance. According to Narayan Dutt Bhandari, Chief of the Division Office of Roads, Charikot, this is technically the most complex and largest landslide control project in Nepal. Preparations are underway to install soil and rock anchor rods up to 30 meters deep underground and grout them to stabilize the landslide.

Technicians have concluded that this landslide became massive due to erosion by the Bhote Koshi River. To stop it, an RCC wall with 32mm rods will be constructed by digging the foundation until rock is found along the riverbank.

Since water accumulated inside the landslide is washing away the soil internally, horizontal drilling will be used to install pipes to drain it out. Furthermore, the internal water will be safely discharged into the river by digging three large wells with a 4-meter diameter. The design for this project was prepared in consultation with senior geotechnical engineers and experts from Nepal.

TSN Construction, which won the contract, has already moved the necessary equipment and resources to the worksite. Om Prakash Lamsal, the operator of the construction company, views this as a challenging engineering project, distinct from normal road construction. He stated that plans are in place to operate day and night, mobilizing more than 15 pieces of heavy equipment.

However, he complained that despite a month passing since the agreement, the work has not gained the expected momentum due to some procedural delays from the ministry and the department. All mechanisms have been mobilized with the goal of completing the main work by the end of Ashad and preventing further damage during the monsoon season.

News Agency Nepal