ILAM:  Torrential rain since Thursday has obstructed the Ilam-Rajduwali road section along the Mechi Highway.

Chief District Officer Sunita Nepal informed RSS that vehicular movement has been prohibited on the section due to road breakdown at various locations.

Vehicles are completely banned on the road until further notice, she said. The Tilkeni-Simalgola-Shilpur road, an alternative route to the Mechi Highway, is also blocked due to rain and landslides.

The Mechi Corridor (Kechana-Kanchenjunga road) has been closed since early October last year after its concrete bridge at Maikhola in Belase was collapsed.

With all roads connecting Ilam headquarters to Jhapa blocked, road connectivity between Ilam and Jhapa has been severed.

Meanwhile, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the cyclone ‘Montha’ developed in the Bay of Bengal is expected to affect the weather in various areas, including Ilam in Koshi province from October 30 to November 1.