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The construction of BP Highway opened the door to development in Sindhuli and other mid-hill districts. Along with easy transportation access, the highway improved the economy and living standards in those districts.

However, less than a decade after its completion, the highway was severely damaged due to floods in the Roshi and Sunkoshi rivers last year, cutting off road connectivity for almost two weeks. It has been nine months since the devastating flood, and the condition of the highway has barely improved.

People living along the highway fear the motorway will suffer the same fate as last year in case of heavy rainfall. Ramji Kafle of Kamalamai Municipality-5, Sindhuli, says as the monsoon has already started, the highway could get blocked any time. “We are worried that rains will wash away the temporary diversion that was built to reroute the vehicles after last year’s floods and landslides,” he adds.

The Nepalthok-Bhakunde Besi road section of highway was severely damaged by floods and landslides last year. A month after the disaster, road diversions were created to resume traffic. Those temporary roads are still in use today while the damaged highway section awaits repair works.  

Maheshwor Koirala of Nepalthok-1, Sunkoshi Rural Municipality, complains the authorities concerned failed to repair the highway on time. “Because of their failure, the passengers are forced to risk their lives,” he says. The number of vehicles plying the BP Highway has witnessed a drop of more than 50 percent since last year’s disaster. 

Jhamak Bahadur Thapa, a transport operator, advises against traveling through the highway during heavy rainfall. “The temporary diversions are not reliable. They could get washed away in case of rainfall,” he says. With fewer vehicles traveling these days, local businesses have also taken a hit. Development works have also been affected, as vehicles are unable to transport construction materials.   

Netra Bikram Thapa, who runs a hotel and EV charging station along the highway, is struggling to keep his business going these days.  “I invested millions to start this business, now I am regretting my decision,” he says. ​​​​​​​

Lawmakers representing the districts connected by the BP Highway blame the federal government for not prioritizing the repair works.​​​​​​​ Lekhnath Dahal (Rajan), an elected MP from Sindhuli-2, says his repeated requests to the relevant government agencies and officials to repair the highway was ignored.  

“Despite knowing the condition of the highway, the government has not shown any initiative to solve the problem. The government should allocate a budget to control Roshi and Sunkoshi rivers to avert future disasters,” he says. 

Government officials say they have recently signed an agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to reconstruct the damaged sections of the highway. According to the Road Division Office, About 12 km of the highway was damaged by last year’s floods and landslides, which will take around Rs 10bn to reconstruct.  JICA has agreed to fund the reconstruction of the 3.2 km section of the highway from Dalabensi to Barkhekhola. The remaining sections will be repaired by the government itself. ​​​​​​​While the contract has already been signed, the actual work will only begin after this year’s monsoon is over.  

The government has set ‘Intensity in Rice Cultivation: Food Security and Self-reliance’ as the slogan for the National Paddy Day this year. This slogan has been set to increase rice production for food security.

The Department of Agriculture is organising various programmes on the occasion of the 22nd National Paddy Day and Paddy Plantation Festival, which will be celebrated on June 29 this year, focusing on research on climate-resilient technologies and increasing rice production.     

In this connection, an interaction programme with experts on the protection of indigenous crops, promotion of technology and minimising the impact of climate change in this region, is scheduled to be organised at Khumaltar. A paddy planting festival cum honouring farmers will also be held on the occasion.     

The Director General of the Department, Prakash Sanjel, said that there is a plan to increase rice production and productivity, and to raise awareness among farmers regarding food security.

Rice is the main food crop which has a direct bearing on the economic development, and is linked with social, cultural and religious traditions of the country. It is the staple crop of Nepal.     

Director General Sanjel stated that in view of the importance of rice, the National Paddy Day and Transplanting Festival have been celebrated every year since 29 June 2009, with the aim of promoting paddy production, modernisation and commercialisation.     

In the fiscal year 2023-24, the production of rice was 5,724,234 metric tonnes, while in the year 2024-25, the production increased to 5,955,476 metric tonnes. In the year 2023-24, rice was planted on 1,438,989 hectares, and in the year 2024-25, rice was planted on 1,420,636 hectares.     

Despite a general decrease in the area under rice crop, the increase in productivity has led to an overall rise in rice production, according to Mahananda Joshi, an information officer at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. He said the production of rice has increased due to the use of chemical fertilisers, improved seed varieties and the timely rainfall.

Independent media outlets around the world are facing an unprecedented crisis, according to a new report released today by three consortia of top media-development organisations led by Internews Europe, BBC Media Action, and Free Press Unlimited, and supported by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships.

The report, Crisis in Journalism: The Impact of the US Government Funding Cuts on Global Media, provides the first in-depth look at the consequences of the 2025 US executive order suspending most foreign assistance. The move led to a sudden loss of around $150m in annual support for journalism and the wider information ecosystem—support that many media outlets in high-risk and authoritarian contexts relied on for survival.

“Without immediate and flexible support, countless journalists and communities will be left even more vulnerable to censorship, propaganda, and information blackouts,” said Internews Europe CEO Meera Selva. “Even modest investments can protect the future of independent media.”

The rapid assessment, led by Internews Europe and conducted in collaboration with three media development consortia under the European Commission’s Thematic Framework Partnership for Human Rights and Democracy, draws on data from over 50 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

Simon Bishop, CEO of BBC Media Action, said: “These devastating funding cuts leave a vacuum in some of the world’s most fragile information environments. Independent journalism is a cornerstone of democracy – without it, we cannot have human rights or freedom. We know local media are creative, innovative and used to making the most of limited resources, and often it takes only a small amount of support to ensure their survival. Urgent investment will prevent the total erosion of trusted local news and information where it’s needed most.”

Ruth Kronenburg, Executive Director of Free Press Unlimited, said: “This is not just a financial crisis, it’s a human rights crisis. We must realise that the brave journalists in repressive countries around the world are our eyes and ears. Now we run the risk that these eyes will close one by one, until we are in the dark about what is going on in the world and authoritarian regimes are legitimised.”

The report outlines urgent needs for emergency support, operational funding, and long-term sectoral strategy, including rapid response and relocation funds for at-risk journalists; core funding for strategic outlets and support organisations; continued investment in public interest journalism; and greater coordination among international donors and partners.

A sub-engineer died after a flash flood swept him away  at Mahankal Rural Municipality-6 in Thuladurlung,  Lalitpur on Wednesday.

The deceased has been identified as Sabin Dahal. 

According to Mahankal award-6 Chair Binod Chaulagain, the flood occurred in Bharyang stream swept away 21-year-old Sabin Dahal of Kaleshwar,  Mahankal-4 at around 7:30 pm.

He was currently residing in Lalitpur Metropolitan City-29 Harisiddhi. 

”We located his body at 10 pm during the search. All roads here are closed, and we have informed the Nepal Army to send helicopters for rescue', he said.