Floods and landslides damages 26 hydropower projects, multiple road sections

 The floods and landslides triggered by incessant rainfall caused physical damage of around Rs 3 billion. It is estimated that the under construction 44 MW Super Madi Hydropower Project in Madi of Kaski alone has caused a loss of over Rs 1 billion, according to Independent Power Producers' Association (IPPAN).

The rainfall induced floods damaged 16 under construction projects and 10 projects generating electricity, the IPPAN confirmed, adding that more than two dozen hydropower projects were affected till 8 PM today.

"Most of the hydropower projects -- both under construction and completed -- in the Dordi Corridor, Marsyangdi Corridor and Madi Corridor have been affected by the floods and landslides," the IPPAN informed, adding that the details of the damage have not been received from all the places yet. "Thought there has been a lot of physical damages, no immediate reports of injuries or human casualties have been reported."

Construction materials, equipment, dams, tunnels and other structures of the hydropower projects under construction have been damaged due to the landslide, it adds.

The floods and landslides also damaged more than two dozen roads and more than a dozen bridges have collapsed in various places.

The Department of Roads (DoR) confirmed that most of the damage has been reported on Karnali Highway and Siddhartha Highway causing a loss of billions. "There still obstruction in 8 road sections till 8 PM today, and one-way transportation services came into operation in 11 places and two-way in three places of the blocked highway."

ADB to provide $180 million to improve East–West Highway

The Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan of $180 million to support improvements to East–West Highway, the country’s main domestic and international trade route also known as the Mahendra Highway.
“The highway’s road surface – Nepal’s busiest route – is in fair to poor condition and does not segregate oncoming traffic or slow-moving vehicles and pedestrians,” said ADB transport specialist Johan Georget. “Improving the road will boost the efficiency of Nepal’s transport system, strengthen national and regional connectivity to promote growth and trade, and improve road safety.”
Nepal’s road network, which includes eight north–south and three east–west corridors, carries more than 90 per cent of passengers and goods in the country. The project road carries an average of 8,600 vehicles daily, with more than a quarter of them heavy vehicles. This average is forecast to grow to 25,400 vehicles a day by 2033.
The project will improve and rehabilitate about 87-km between Kanchanpur and Kamala on the East–West Highway, and will upgrade the highway section to a four-lane dual carriageway to cater to the projected increase of traffic demand, including a new road surface and drainage. Road safety will be significantly improved, as a center median will reduce head-on collisions, while service lanes in populated areas will reduce rear-end, sideswape, and side-on collisions, particularly for pedestrians, motorcycles, and cyclists.
The project will also finance civil works and equipment packages to improve road safety along the entire 1,027-km of the East–West Highway, and support road safety campaigns. The loan will also finance preparation of detailed designs for future road projects along the corridor. Accompanying the loan is an ADB technical assistance grant of $750,000 to help prepare a national road safety policy and action plan, strengthen the road safety council, carry out a road safety assessment of the corridor, identify the location of potential service areas, and promote gender equality measures in the transport sector.
Contractors are currently invited to purchase bidding documents and submit their proposals, and construction is expected to start in the first quarter of 2019. Civil works contracts will include a performance-based maintenance period of 5 years after completion of construction, which is due to finish in 2022.
The total project cost is $256.4 million, of which the government will $76.4 million.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members, 48 from the region. In 2017, ADB operations totaled $32.2 billion, including $11.9 billion in cofinancing.

जापानले थानकोट सुरुङमार्ग बनाउन सघाउने

जापान सरकारले थानकोटमा सुरुङमार्ग बनाउन सघाउने भएको छ। नेपालका लागि जापानी राजदूत मासासी ओगावाले पत्रकारसँग कुरा गर्दै जापान सरकारले त्रिभुवन राजमार्गमा हालको अव्यवस्थतालाई सुरुङमार्गले सहज बनाउन मद्दत गर्ने विश्वास पनि व्यक्त गरे। देशभित्र तथा बाहिरको सवारी आवागमनमा मात्र होइन अर्थतन्त्रको पनि मेरुदण्डको रूपमा रहेको त्रिभुवन राजमार्गको थानकोटखण्डको अस्तव्यस्थताले यात्रुले कष्ट उठाउनुपरेको छ। त्रिभुवन राजपथ काठमाडौंलाई बाँकी देशसँग जोड्ने सबैभन्दा सहज राजमार्ग हो। यो राजमार्गको प्रयोग गरेर दैनिक हजारौं यात्रु काठमाडौं आवतजावत मात्र गर्दैनन्, दैनिक उपभोग्य सामान एवं देशको महत्त्वपूर्ण व्यापारको ठूलो मात्रा यो राजमार्गबाटै भित्रिन्छ र बाहिरिन्छ। 
‘जापान सरकार नेपाली जनताको सहज आवागमनको लागि थानकोटमा २.३ किलोमिटरको सुरुङमार्ग निर्माणमा सहयोग गर्न चाहन्छ’, उनले भने, ‘जापान सरकारसँग अत्याधुनिक प्र्रविधि भएकोले जापान प्रविधि हस्तान्तरण गर्न चाहन्छ।’ 
अघिल्लो साता भौतिक पूर्वाधार तथा यातायात मन्त्रालयका सचिव तुल्सीप्रसाद सिटौलाको नेतृत्वमा नेपाली टोली सुरुङमार्गका लागि प्राविधिक र सैद्धान्तिक ज्ञान हासिल गर्न आठ सदस्यीय टोली जापान पनि गएको थियो। नेपाल सरकारले एक वर्षअगाडि नागढुंगा सडकखण्डमा सुरु ङमार्ग बनाउने विषयमा अध्ययन गरेको थियो। यसबाट २.३ किमि लामो सुरुङ नागढुंगाको इमाखेलदेखि नौबीसेको सिस्नेखोलासम्म बनाउने निर्णय भएको थियो। 
यस आयोजनाले मूर्तरूप लिएमा नेपालको सुरुङमार्ग यातायात क्षेत्रमा ठूलो सहयोग पुग्ने र भविष्यमा पनि अन्य सुरुङमार्गको लागि बाटो खुल्नेछ। 
यसैगरी, राजदूत ओगावाले जापानले नेपालको पूर्वाधारको विकासमा मद्दत गरिरहेको र अझ मद्दत गर्ने चाहना भएको पनि बताए। ‘बनेपा-बर्दिबास बीपी राजमार्ग आगामी मार्च महिनामा सम्पन्न हुने बताउँदै उनले यो राजमार्गले काठमाडौंदेखि तराईको दूरी मात्र छोट्ट्याएको होइन त्यसभेगका कृषकको कृषिजन्य उत्पादनले बजार पनि पाउने र उनीहरूको जीवनस्तरमा सुधार आउने पनि उनले बताए। 
६ महिनाअघि मात्र नेपाल आएका राजदूत ओगावाले शान्तिपूर्ण दोस्रो संविधानसभाको चुनाउको माध्यमबाट नयाँ सरकार बनेको र नेपालमा समयमा नै संविधान आउनेमा विश्वस्त हुँदै धेरै जापानीहरू नेपालीको बारेमा अझै परिचित नभएको तर नेपाल आउन चाहेको पनि बताए। ‘जापानले नेपालको जनशक्तिको विकासमा पनि मद्दत गरिरहेको छ’, उनले भने, ‘तर जिट्कोमा केही समस्या आएको भए पनि राजदूतावासले त्यसलाई सहजीकरण गर्न मद्दत गर्ने कोसिस गर्नेछ।’