Snow clearance begins on the Simkot-Hilsa road section linking the border with China
Hemanta KC, Nepal News Bank
Surkhet. Removal of snow has started on the Simkot-Hilsa road section linking the border with China in Humla. The snow clearance has been started by mobilizing JCB in the Nara Lake area of Namkha Rural Municipality-5. The target is to make the road which has been obstructed due to snowfall since September 24 to be operational within two to three days.
About 10 kilometers of the road from Yari-Nara Lake to Hilsa under the Karnali Corridor has accumulated. Locals, hoteliers and employees of government offices in Hilsa have been affected due to the disruption of transport services for a long time. It is expected that the people of Humla in Taklakot area of China will also be able to return home during Dashain and Tihar after the snow clearance work started to clear the road.
According to Bel Bahadur Nepali, chief of the Hilsa-Simkot road project, the work of clearing the snow accumulated on the steep boulders of Nara Lake area has started from Wednesday morning. At present, the work of removing snow from Yari area towards Nara Lake is going on. He said that the work of clearing the accumulated snow on the road leading to Hilsa after crossing Nara Lake will also be expedited. According to him, about
three feet of snow has accumulated on some parts of the road. About four meters of snow has accumulated in the ditch area towards Hilsa of Nara Lake. He said that it will take more time to remove the snow in the area due to excessive snowfall.
“Now the work of clearing the snow from Yari towards Nara Lake has started. We estimate that it will take two to three days to make the road operational as it has accumulated a lot of snow,” he said.
Snow obstructs at an altitude of 4,670 meters
The road transport has been affected due to heavy snowfall at Nara Lake, which is located at an altitude of 4,670 meters above sea level. Vehicular movement has been disrupted due to the accumulation of snow on the road section which is located in the high mountainous region.
According to Nepali, the chief of the road project, additional fuel required for the JCB has been arranged to continue the snow clearance work. He informed that the fuel was sent to Nara Lake from Simkot on Wednesday. The snow clearance work will be done from morning till 5:
30 pm through JCB. The plan aims to make the road accessible within two to three days if the weather permits and there is no further disruption in the work.
The road connectivity from Simkot to Hilsa has been cut off due to snowfall at Nara Lake. As Hilsa is the main border point to Taklakot of China, the road has been disrupted.
Locals and businessmen stopped in Hilsa
The daily life of the locals and businessmen in Hilsa has been affected due to the disruption of traffic due to snowfall. Pema Lama, the proprietor of Mansarovar Hotel in Hilsa, expressed happiness over the beginning of the work of clearing the snow accumulated on the road. She expressed confidence that transportation services would resume soon once the snow is cleared.
At present, employees of the Armed Police Force, Nepal Police, Yari Naka Customs Office and Immigration Office, along with hoteliers and some local businessmen have been living in Hilsa. Their movement has been difficult due to the road blockade.
Especially as Dashain and Tihar are approaching, the people of Humla, who have gone to Taklakot area of China for business, employment and other work, are waiting for the road to be opened to return home. It is expected that after the road is opened, it will be easier for them to commute.
Heavy snowfall in September in the last 15 years
According to the locals, this year Hilsa has received such heavy snowfall for the first time in the last 15 years from September 26. According to them, although such heavy snowfall used to occur only after the month of October in the previous years, this year it snowed in September due to the change in weather.
The heavy snowfall in September has affected the lives of people in the high mountainous region as well as transport and business. The Simkot-Hilsa road has been obstructed for a long time due to delay in clearing the snow accumulated in Nara Lake after the snowfall.
Although the snow clearance work has started in Nara Lake, the work of removing the snow accumulated in Nyalu Lake, another high mountainous area of the Simkot-Hilsa road section, has not started. Therefore, it seems that the situation of the entire road section will not be able to operate smoothly only after the snow of Nara Lake is removed.
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