The Hidden Economic and Health Toll of Nepal’s Crumbling Highway Infrastructure | Ratopati

Biratnagar. A Nagarik Yatayat bus heading east from Itahari came to a screeching halt in Gachhiya. As soon as the bus stopped, a massive cloud of dust billowed inside. Passengers covered their mouths with hands, clothes, and masks. One female passenger expressed her frustration, ‘Could you stop the bus more carefully? Why stop when you know there is so much dust?’

The bus conductor replied, ‘Sister! We bought this bus to carry people; how can we not pick up those who want to go?’ This is a conversation at one bus station, but similar complaints are heard from passengers to drivers and conductors along the East-West Highway.

Raju Dhamala, Treasurer of Sunaulo Purba Nepal Yatayat Pvt. Ltd., calculates his company’s earnings daily, but these days, his face shows frustration rather than happiness. He said, ‘In the past, 35 liters of diesel were enough to reach Kakarbhitta from Biratnagar, but today, due to the poor road conditions, it consumes around 50 liters. We are using 10 to 15 liters of extra diesel on a single trip.’

Dhamala’s pain is not just personal. It is the shared plight of thousands of transport entrepreneurs in Koshi Province. Dhamala claims that due to the poor state of the roads, an additional 3,000 rupees is being spent daily on maintenance for a single bus. He explains that the business is collapsing due to issues like worn-out tires, broken leaf springs, and the need for frequent oil changes.

Transport entrepreneur Tejraj Shrestha said, ‘It now takes 2 to 2.5 hours to reach places that were easily accessible in 1 hour before. We have to drive slowly due to diversions, hume pipes, and scattered construction materials everywhere. This has increased fuel consumption by 70 to 80 percent and doubled machinery maintenance costs.’

While entrepreneurs are suffering financial losses, workers in the transport sector are facing similar problems.

According to Baburam Kattel, President of the Nepal Transport Workers Union and a labor leader, health issues among workers due to road dust are on the rise. ‘Due to dust and smoke, it has become common for workers to suffer from colds, chest pain, and eye irritation. Some workers are even in a condition where they need to be hospitalized,’ Kattel complained.

According to him, for workers who have to walk around looking for passengers on the road, this dust has made life miserable.

Meanwhile, the story of those doing business around the road is even more tragic. Belbari Chamber of Commerce and Industry General Secretary Bibek Mishra said, ‘In the name of highway expansion, vehicles drive in zero space, leaving no room for parking. Without parking, customers do not come to hotels and shops.’

According to Mishra, businesses on the north side of the highway have collapsed even further. With no place to cross the road, people are forced to take detours of 2-3 kilometers. ‘Although there is a rule to sprinkle water to control dust, contractors have stopped doing so, claiming diesel is too expensive,’ he said.

Mishra mentioned that shops located in shutters near houses have practically closed due to the dust flying during road construction. The dust has made it unbearable for people living near the road.

The government has decided to provide two days of public holidays per week to reduce fuel consumption. However, it seems unaware that fuel consumption is increasing due to the poor condition of the roads.

Thousands of vehicles travel daily on the 134-kilometer road section from Koshi Barrage to Kakarbhitta in Jhapa, which is considered the lifeline of Koshi Province. According to 2018 Department of Roads data, 115,338 vehicles were seen traveling on this section daily. Recent data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Koshi Province shows an annual increase of 10 to 12 percent in vehicle registration. Even assuming a 5 percent increase in traffic, 121,105 vehicles currently travel on this road daily.

Despite this growth, the economic loss caused by the dilapidated state of the road is staggering. Currently, the market price of diesel is 234.5 rupees per liter and petrol is 216.5 rupees per liter. A motorcycle consumes 1.5 liters more petrol than normal to cover the 134-kilometer distance. At this rate, over 20.7 million rupees worth of extra petrol is being consumed daily by 63,800 motorcycles alone.

Similarly, 8,800 buses consuming an extra 15 liters of diesel daily result in an additional expenditure of 30.9 million rupees. 4,200 trucks and tippers consuming 20 liters of extra diesel per vehicle cost an additional 19.6 million rupees. Adding the extra fuel consumption of cars, jeeps, and other small vehicles, more than 128.4 million rupees worth of fuel is being wasted daily on this 134-kilometer section alone due to bad roads.

Fuel consumption is only the visible damage. There is no accounting for the invisible costs of machinery maintenance and time. As businessman Raju Dhamala said, one bus incurs an additional 3,000 rupees in daily maintenance costs. Even if we assume a conservative average maintenance burden of 200 rupees per vehicle for 121,000 vehicles, an additional 24.2 million rupees is being spent on machinery daily.

Due to unpaved roads, dust, and potholes, the lifespan of vehicles has decreased, and the time for changing tires and oil has been cut in half.

The waste of time has also reduced the country’s productivity. Each passenger spends an average of 1 hour more in traffic jams and diversions. Millions of rupees worth of labor are stuck in the road dust every day. If all these direct and indirect costs are added, how many crores are citizens and the state losing daily on this road section alone? It must be calculated.

This road expansion is also having a serious impact on human health. Fine dust particles (PM 2.5) flying due to the failure of the Department of Roads and construction companies to sprinkle water regularly are causing permanent damage to the lungs of local residents and travelers.

‘Currently, the poor condition of Nepal’s roads and excessive dust have triggered a serious multidimensional crisis in public health. Scientifically, since fine particles (PM 2.5) in road dust reach the lungs and bloodstream through the respiratory system, there is a risk of cough, asthma, allergies, heart problems, and even cancer,’ said public health worker Dr. Balkrishna Sah. ‘In addition to health, as travel becomes uncertain due to broken roads and traffic jams, citizens face intense mental stress and irritability, and low visibility and potholes have increased the possibility of road accidents.’

According to him, for those going out for daily work, this situation not only reduces work efficiency but also causes a heavy cut in personal productivity and family time due to travel delays.

The situation of about 2,000 small and large hotels and shops operating along the highway is also tragic. Prem Gurung, who runs a chowmein industry in Pathari Shanishchare, said he is facing great difficulty in delivering goods. ‘Where 20 kilos of chowmein used to go daily, it has dropped to 10 or 5 kilos in the highway area,’ he said. ‘Not only has business decreased, but we also have to spend double the time to deliver goods there.’

According to the data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Koshi Province, the number of vehicles to be renewed in 2081/082 alone is more than 131,000. These vehicle owners are paying taxes to the state, but the ‘service’ provided by the state is only potholes and dust. The statistics of accidents caused by construction materials piled in the middle of the road are increasing.

According to the Highway Safety and Traffic Management Office, Itahari, Sunsari, there were a total of 3,510 road accidents in Koshi Province in 2079/080, but in the fiscal year 2081/082, the number of accidents has increased to around 5,000.

The East-West Highway is currently under expansion. A contract was signed between the government and Avrascan Kalika JV for the construction of the road on 2080 Kartik 2, and the agreement states that the construction work must be completed by 2083 Magh 19.

Then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli formally inaugurated the road at Padajungi in Kamal Rural Municipality on 2081 Jestha 9.

However, at this time, the upgrading work of the Kakarbhitta-Laukahi road section under the East-West Highway, which is a project of national pride, is in further crisis due to the lack of fuel and bitumen. The recent rise in petroleum prices in the international market and the inconvenience in supply have created a situation where the project’s construction work could come to a complete halt. As a result, it seems that it will take years for the transport sector, workers, passengers, and businesses around the highway to return to their normal rhythm.