By Our Reporter
The latest disruption on the Prithvi Highway should settle one uncomfortable fact: Kathmandu cannot continue depending on a single major road for most of its supplies and movement.
The Krishnabhir landslide in Dhading has pushed LPG prices up by at least Rs7 per kilogram in Kathmandu Valley and surrounding areas. Other essential goods are also facing supply pressure. A disaster that directly affected a relatively small population along the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli corridor has quickly created problems for millions because the main road connecting Kathmandu with much of the country has been blocked.
This is not a new lesson. The Prithvi Highway has been disrupted repeatedly by floods, landslides and road accidents. Krishnabhir itself has a long history of instability. The 2000 blockage, which lasted 11 days, caused widespread hardship. Yet the country has still failed to build a transport network capable of keeping Kathmandu supplied when the highway goes down.
The immediate priority is clear: reopen the Prithvi Highway safely and as quickly as possible. The government’s 15-day target deserves support, but cutting into an unstable slope to create a temporary track also raises questions about its reliability and safety. Engineers may have few choices during an emergency, but a temporary measure must not become the permanent answer.
The larger task is to build alternatives.The Kathmandu-Nijgadh Fast Track is the most obvious one. Construction began in 2017 with a six-year completion target, but the project remains unfinished. Land compensation disputes, particularly around Khokana, and construction delays have slowed progress. Every year of delay leaves Kathmandu more exposed.
The Kanti Lokpath and Tribhuvan Highway also deserve much greater attention. They cannot simply be treated as secondary roads. Their capacity, pavement, bridges, drainage and landslide protection should be upgraded so they can carry substantial traffic during emergencies.
The government should also study a new route along the western bank of the Trishuli River. Such a road would require detailed geological, environmental and economic assessments, but the idea deserves serious examination. Nepal should stop asking which single road can replace the Prithvi Highway and start planning a network in which several routes can share the burden.
The lesson from LPG is useful here. Gas supplies had already been under pressure before the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli disaster. Yet Kathmandu has not faced the kind of cooking-fuel panic seen during past blockades because electricity and induction cookers provide another option. Alternatives reduce the damage caused when one supply chain fails.
Transport needs the same principle. The government should identify essential supply corridors and classify them as national resilience infrastructure. Roads connecting Kathmandu with the eastern, western and southern parts of the country should be assessed not only for normal traffic but also for their ability to carry emergency freight when another route fails.
This means investing in bridges, tunnels, slope stabilisation, drainage, emergency tracks and strategically placed maintenance equipment. It also means maintaining alternative roads before a disaster occurs, not opening them after the main highway is already blocked.
The government should also develop contingency plans for fuel, food and medicine. Strategic stocks of essential goods inside Kathmandu would give authorities time to respond when roads are cut. Freight movement could be prioritised during emergencies, while authorities should closely monitor artificial shortages and excessive price increases.
The Prithvi Highway will remain important. The answer is not to abandon it, but to end Kathmandu’s dependence on it.
The Bhotekoshi disaster has exposed a weakness that has been visible for decades. One landslide should not be able to disrupt the daily life and supply system of a capital serving millions.
Nepal needs the Fast Track. It needs stronger Kanti Lokpath and Tribhuvan Highway. It needs a serious study of a western Trishuli corridor. And it needs other regional routes capable of carrying freight when the main corridors fail. A resilient capital needs several roads to the rest of the country, not one lifeline.
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