KALIKOT: A landslide triggered by light rainfall has blocked the Karnali Highway near Jite, disrupting vehicular movement along the Jite–Manma section of the road.

As a result, transportation from Kalikot’s district headquarters Manma, as well as from Jumla and Mugu to Surkhet, has come to a halt.

Landslides have become frequent on the highway with the onset of the monsoon season. Authorities say the risk of landslides has increased due to repeated ground disturbances caused by the excavation of auxiliary roads and phased road-widening projects carried out by local governments. The recent landslide occurred after a rockface at Jite cliff fractured.

According to DSP Tek Bahadur Rawat, chief of the District Police Office in Kalikot, the debris could be cleared within a short time.

He noted that the Karnali Highway often opens and closes intermittently during the rainy season. Although the Road Division has kept excavators on standby, clearing landslides still takes time.