The Nepali Army has reopened the Khadbari-Kimathanka road section, a strategic stretch of the North-South (Koshi) Highway linking Nepal and China, bringing it back into operation on Monday evening after three months of complete blockage. The route had been fully obstructed since Shrawan, when a landslide packed with large boulders crashed down at Chhumsur in Bhotkhola Rural Municipality-2, cutting off the key road link to the northern border settlements of Sankhuwasabha district, according to reports by RatoPati and Nagarik News. The restoration of the road ends a prolonged disruption on a corridor widely described as a strategic lifeline between the two countries.
Three Months of Disruption at Chhumsur
The obstruction occurred during Shrawan, the Nepali month that runs roughly from mid-July to mid-August and coincides with the peak of the monsoon season, when slopes across Nepal's mid-hills and mountain districts are at their most vulnerable to landslides. The debris that came down at Chhumsur included exceptionally large boulders, and the road section was fully obstructed, halting all movement along the corridor.
The landslide site lies deep inside the mountainous northern belt of Sankhuwasabha district, about 21 km from Kimathanka and roughly 141 km from Khadbari, the district headquarters. For the people of Kimathanka and the surrounding settlements, the road serves as the principal artery connecting them with the rest of the district, and the blockage left the entire section out of operation for close to three months.
Key details at a glance:
- Road: Khadbari-Kimathanka section of the North-South (Koshi) Highway
- Blocked since: Shrawan, following a landslide at Chhumsur
- Location of obstruction: Bhotkhola Rural Municipality-2, about 21 km from Kimathanka and 141 km from Khadbari
- Cause: Landslide with large boulders that fully obstructed the road
- Clearance: Carried out by the Nepali Army, including blasting of the boulders
- Reopened: Monday evening
Army Blasts Through Boulders to Restore the Route
According to Khabarhub, the Nepali Army carried out the clearance operation at the landslide site. Because the boulders were too large to be removed directly, the army resorted to blasting, breaking the rocks apart so that the debris could be cleared from the roadbed and the surface made passable again. The work culminated in the reopening of the route on Monday evening, restoring traffic on a stretch that had been shut since the Shrawan landslide.
The scale of the obstruction underlines the difficulty of maintaining road links in the remote northern belt of the district. At a distance of 141 km from Khadbari and 21 km short of Kimathanka, the Chhumsur site sits far from the district headquarters, meaning that any disruption along this stretch effectively severs the connection between the high-altitude settlements and the rest of the country until clearance work can be completed.
A Strategic 'Lifeline' on the Nepal-China Corridor
The Khadbari-Kimathanka road holds significance well beyond local mobility. It forms part of the North-South (Koshi) Highway, one of Nepal's strategic corridors intended to link the country's southern plains with its northern border. At its northern end, the road reaches Kimathanka, a settlement close to the Nepal-China border, giving the route direct strategic and economic weight for connectivity between the two countries. Nagarik News has characterized the route as the lifeline connecting Nepal and China.
For the communities it serves, however, the road's importance is immediate and practical. It is the main surface link carrying supplies, passengers and goods between Khadbari and the northern settlements, and its three-month closure demonstrated how heavily the region depends on this single corridor. With the route now cleared and reopened, movement between the district headquarters and Kimathanka has resumed.
Monsoon Risks on Nepal's Mountain Roads
The incident is a reminder of the fragility of road infrastructure in Nepal's hill and mountain terrain during the monsoon months. Landslides frequently block highway sections across the country, and clearance operations in remote areas often require days or months of work, particularly when heavy debris must be broken up through blasting, as was the case at Chhumsur.
For now, travelers and residents of the northern belt have their route back. The Nepali Army's completion of the clearance operation has restored operations on the Khadbari-Kimathanka section, reopening the Koshi Highway corridor that ties Sankhuwasabha's northern settlements to the national road network and to the border point toward China.
