By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, July 5: Public have been requested to not drive vehicles during heavy rain as it increases the risks of accidents due to slippery road and unexpected landslide and flood.
Moreover, since many major highways and roads in the country with heavy vehicular movement pass through hills and along the river banks, authorities have stressed the need to be aware while riding vehicles in monsoon.
Other than heavy flood and landslide, even small and big rocks fall from the hills unexpectedly during the monsoon.
On Saturday, two people died as landslide fell over a truck (Na 8 Kha 4540) and a container (Na 7 Kha 320) in Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality along the Prithvi Highway in Dhading. They have been identified as 19-year-old Birbal Praja of Chitwan and 43-year-old Soni Devi, an Indian national.
Similarly, on July 1, a flood in Khahare River of Kaski washed away an ambulance which was en-route to Pokhara carrying an 83-year-old patient Goma Adhikari of Madi Rural Municipality.
The ambulance driver and a relative of Goma were able to escape from the ambulance when hit by the flood, but it was already late when they rescued Goma.
“Heavy rain can trigger flood and landslide suddenly at any place.
It is why we request people to not drive during the rain. Even the roads get slippery and there are chances of vehicles going out of control,” said Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjeev Sharma Das, spokesperson at the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division.
Other than major highways, the rural roads also pose risk of accidents during monsoon as it gets muddy and slippery.
Data by the Department of Roads as of Sunday afternoon showed that a total of 101 road obstructions were recorded across the country since June 13 due to floods and landslides.
The department was finally able to remove the huge boulder on Sunday which had fallen on the Narayanghat-Mugling road section in Chitwan on Friday.
“Heavy rains also cause disturbance in proper vision of road for driver which can lead to accidents. It is always better to wait for heavy rain to avoid potential accidents,” said SP Das.