Sindhupalchok - A massive landslide known locally as the Eco landslide has placed more than 100 households of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality–2 at severe risk. Continuous rainfall has been destabilizing the slope, while the Bhotekoshi River below keeps pulling the debris downstream, intensifying the threat to settlements perched above the slide.
According to Bhotekoshi-2 Chairperson Kumar Shrestha, communities in Chaukidanda, Gumbadanda, Milanbazar, Lalbirchok, Kodari Gumba, Kudung, Takpasa, Tartung, Kyusa, Chermang, Damar, and Tamang Gumba are among the most vulnerable. Some families have already locked their homes and moved to safer areas such as Bahrabise, Tatopani, Kodari, Khokundol, Chakhu, and even Kathmandu, while others remain in the high-risk zone due to lack of alternatives.
To address the growing danger, local leaders, business associations, and representatives of political parties recently submitted a memorandum to Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Devendra Dahal, urging sustainable measures to control the landslide and protect settlements. Following the request, a technical team led by geographer and Road Department Superintendent Engineer Shubharaj Nyaupane conducted a field assessment of the landslide site.
In response, mitigation works have begun. Drilling machines are being used to release water from inside the landslide, while the Road Division Office has started installing gabion nets along the riverbanks. Laborers from Tatopani Customs have been volunteering to open new tracks, supported by food supplies from the Nepal Himalayan Trans-Border Trade Association. Similarly, Ado Transport Company has covered parts of the slide with large plastic sheets to minimize further damage during rainfall.
Despite these efforts, residents and stakeholders continue to press the government for long-term solutions, warning that without immediate and sustainable intervention, both the vital Bahrabise–Kodari Highway and entire settlements above the Eco landslide could face devastating consequences.
