Muglin–Narayangadh Road Blocked for 36 Hours Due to Landslide

The Muglin–Narayangadh road section has been blocked for 36 hours. Due to a landslide, the road has remained obstructed since around 6:30 p.m. on Friday (Ashwin 3).

A landslide occurred near the Tuin Khola bridge in Ichhakamana Rural Municipality–6, Chitwan, along this road section. The Bharatpur Road Division has stated that efforts to clear the landslide are ongoing.

Work to remove the debris is stopped at night. Although teams have been deployed from morning to evening to clear the landslide, they have not yet succeeded. Continuous falling rocks from the Muglin side have made it difficult to remove the debris without interruption, according to the Road Division.

On Sunday morning, the work of clearing the landslide was resumed. The Road Division reported that rocks are still falling.

“The falling of rocks has not stopped yet. Since early this morning, machines have been mobilized from both the Muglin and Narayangadh sides to clear the landslide,” the Road Division said in a notice issued on Sunday, “If no additional landslides occur and there are no further obstacles to continuous work, we are committed to reopening the road as soon as possible.”

There is an initial estimate that the road could be opened by 10 or 11 a.m. today if the rockfall stops. “If the rockfall stops, we have initially estimated that the road could be opened by 10 or 11 a.m. tomorrow (today),” said Krishna Prasad Acharya, information officer of the Bharatpur Road Division, on Saturday.

Passengers have been stranded midway due to the road closure. Hundreds of vehicles are stopped in the surrounding areas. Thousands of vehicles travel daily along this route. Although there are alternative roads, they are very narrow and require traveling a much longer distance. This is the main road connecting the federal capital Kathmandu to the East–West Highway. Most cargo vehicles entering Kathmandu pass through this route.

During the monsoon, this road section often faces problems due to landslides. Several times this year, landslides near the Tuin Khola bridge have blocked the road.