Last monsoon, a landslide at Krishnabhir on the Prithvi Highway cut the capital off from the rest of the country for two weeks. Experts now say even one downpour can trigger off a bigger landslide, disabling Kathmandu's supply-route for weeks. Krishnabhir, 82 km west of Kathmandu, has already seen landslides after last week's rainfall. A stretch is covered with mud and debris, and the bulldozer deployed to clear the highway is of little use due to continued slippage from the hills. Closer to Kathmandu, 50m of Paryabhir, near Malekhu, Dhading also experienced landslides earlier this week.

Last monsoon, the government promised to build two protection walls along the Krishnabhir section of the Prithvi Highway, one 180 m long, 6 m wide, and another, 40 m long and 5 m wide. There has been no work as yet on the project. Maintenance workers of the Department of Roads at Krishnabhir say it will take another two months to clear the mud and debris-two months before they can start building those walls.