Road resilience in Nepal begins before construction: flood and landslide exposure, local terrain, and long-term maintenance need to shape the route and design from the outset. Ramji Pant, Senior Vice-President of the Nepal Construction Entrepreneurs Federation, made that case at an interaction on road damage and reconstruction, as reported by Ratopati on October 5, 2026. His comments are a construction-industry perspective, not an independently verified engineering investigation.
What Pant says is going wrong in road design
Pant argued that disaster management and geographic sensitivity are not adequately considered during design, calling the weakness a problem at the root of infrastructure projects. He said contractors build to government- and expert-approved designs, drawings, and standards, and urged attention to the decisions made before work begins. The report presents his diagnosis; it does not independently establish the causes of particular road failures.
For project teams, the practical issue is whether hazard and terrain assessments meaningfully inform alignment, drainage, slope treatment, and construction details—or whether specialists are brought in only after damage occurs. Pant’s remarks point to the need for early coordination rather than treating a landslide or flood as a standalone repair problem.
Hill roads need early geotechnical input and slope planning
Pant said geotechnical engineers should be involved from the start of hill-road projects, alongside coordination among relevant disciplines. He also argued that bioengineering should not be omitted and criticized the practice of seeking geotechnical expertise only after a landslide.
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As an example, he recounted that a 21-kilometer section of the Bahunepati–Pati Bhanjyang road that he had recently blacktopped was later damaged by landslides. According to Pant, a simple wall had been used to achieve road width and bioengineering had not been carried out. Ratopati reported this account; it did not provide an independent engineering assessment of the road, the wall, or the damage.
The example raises a project-planning question rather than proving that one treatment would have prevented the failure: was the slope and ground condition assessed before widening, and were appropriate specialists involved in selecting the stabilization approach? The report does not specify the site conditions or identify a tested alternative design.
Riverbank routes expose more than bridges to flood risk
Pant criticized routing roads along riverbanks when convenient access to materials, speed, and lower cost dominate the decision. He said attention may focus on designing bridges for maximum flood levels while leaving the road corridor itself exposed. In his view, sustainable planning must consider the vulnerability of the approach roads and adjoining slopes as well as the bridge crossing.
That distinction matters in planning: a bridge designed for a flood level does not by itself establish that the road leading to it can remain usable during flooding or slope failure. Pant called for changing the approach to route selection, but the report offers no hydrological assessment, corridor comparison, or quantified performance data for particular alignments.
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Route alternatives can reduce dependence on a single connection
Pant cited disruption to the BP Highway after continuous rainfall on Ashwin 11 and 12, and repeated obstruction on the Tatopani and Kerung trade routes. He argued for new access roads and alternative connectivity so that a blockage on one route does not leave an area or trade connection dependent on a single corridor. Ratopati did not specify the calendar system for those Ashwin dates or quantify the closures or their impacts.
Alternative connectivity is a network-planning issue as much as a road-building one. A proposed alternative needs to be assessed for its own terrain and hazard exposure; the report does not claim that every additional road would be resilient or identify specific routes for construction.
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What Pant recommends for reconstruction and new construction
Pant called for quality and sustainability to take priority over short-term cost savings, supported by proper budgeting and skilled manpower. He also suggested considering designs, codes, and international studies used in Himalayan regions such as Uttarakhand, India. He did not name particular standards or studies, so his comments do not establish which specifications Nepal should adopt.
- Assess risk at the design stage: address flood, landslide, and geographic conditions before the route and works are fixed.
- Bring specialists in early: involve geotechnical engineers and coordinate relevant disciplines before construction, not only after damage.
- Plan hill-slope treatment as part of the road: evaluate whether widening and stabilization approaches suit the site; Pant’s account highlights bioengineering, but does not assess a specific technical solution.
- Evaluate the whole corridor: consider flood and slope exposure along roads and approaches, not only bridge flood levels.
- Budget for durable work: align funding, quality requirements, and skilled labor with long-term performance rather than lowest immediate cost alone.
- Consider network resilience: assess whether viable alternative connections can maintain access when a major route is obstructed.
The report supplies no engineering investigation, official road-condition notice, or government reconstruction plan to corroborate Pant’s specific diagnoses. It also provides no national totals for road damage, repair costs, closure duration, or network exposure. Those limits make his statements a call for stronger planning and coordination—not a quantified assessment of Nepal’s road system.
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