A single landslide has choked Kathmandu for weeks. Dependable backup routes must be built

The Prithvi Highway disruption underscores the need for dependable alternative routes.

Two weeks. That is how long a single landslide has held Kathmandu’s lifeline hostage. On August 30, a stretch of Prithvi Highway in Krishnabhir area of Dhading collapsed into the adjoining Trishuli River, and the capital has been gasping for supplies, including cooking gas, ever since. Sharma JV, the contractor for the expansion and widening of the Muglin-Nagdhunga road section of the highway, which includes the Krishnabhir area, was directed to repair the collapsed road. The repair crews have laboured for a fortnight, yet two-way traffic remains a distant prospect. Sunday’s one-way trial eased the chokehold lightly, but it is not a definite solution.