DoR officials claim all other blocked highways are open to traffic

Except for the block at Manitar-Raidak-Lhamoizinkha road, all the highways blocked recently have been cleared, according to the officials from Department of Roads (DoR).

A DoR engineer, Neten Tshering, said that there are three blocks at the Manitar-Raidak-Lhamoizinkha area. “Although two blocks at the area have been cleared, clearing the remaining one will take about a week.”

He said that the machinery has been deployed in the area and work to clear the block had already begun. The road has been blocked since July 9.

DoR site engineer, Pema Choda, said that the block at Sunkosh-Dagana was cleared on July 13.

The block at Dzongkhalum, Trongsa, was also opened to traffic on July 13.

DoR chief engineer in Trongsa, Tougay Choedup, said that the block might resurface as the area is unstable and landslides occur when it rains.

The forecast from the department of hydro met services indicates that the weather for the next 72 hours will be partly cloudy with some possibility of rain.

According to the National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM), there will be moderate to heavy rain in Samtse, Phuntsholing, Bhur and some parts of eastern Bhutan in the next 48 hours.

The intensity of the rainfall, however, would be less than that of last week.

In an earlier interview with Kuensel, deputy chief of weather and climate service division of NCHM, Tayba B Tamang, said that for the meteorological purpose, June, July, August, and September are considered as a monsoon. “It starts from June and withdraws by mid or end of September.”

He said that last June, July, August, September received an average of 1,283 mm of rainfall.

According to the information from weather and climate sources division, the highest recorded rainfall for June this year was at Bhur with 174.4mm. The total rainfall at the station was 1075.3mm. The lowest was at Paro with 7.2mm.

The total rainfall received until July 13 this year for the twenty dzongkhags was 4,369.2mm. Phuentsholing received the highest rainfall on 9 July at 280mm.

Last year, the highest recorded rainfall for June was at Sipsu with 140.6mm and the lowest at Semtokha with 4.6mm.

Phurpa Lhamo and  Rinchen Zangmo 

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