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The Ghumainetal-Mauwaphat road, which connects Mauwaphant, the administrative center of Raghuganga Rural Municipality in Myagdi, is set to be upgraded and blacktopped. The project is being implemented through cost-sharing among hydropower projects operating within the municipality.

According to Rural Municipality Chairperson Bhav Bahadur Bhandari, the 6.4-kilometer road section from Ghumaundetal to Mauwaphant via Piple, which branches off from the Beni–Jomsom road under the Kaligandaki Corridor, will be paved.

He said the project has been planned with 80 percent of the cost to be covered by Raghuganga Hydropower Limited, a subsidiary of the Nepal Electricity Authority and promoter of the 40 MW Rahughat Hydropower Project, while the remaining 20 percent will be borne by other completed and under-construction hydropower projects within the municipality.

The road from Ghumainetal through Piple to Mauwaphant Chowk will be blacktopped. The section from Mauwaphant to Bukla Dam Site will be graveled, and culverts will be constructed across streams along the route, Bhandari said.

The road, which was opened about two decades ago, remains narrow, deteriorated, and unpaved. As part of the upgrade, sharp bends will be improved, drainage systems, retaining walls, and gabion structures will be built, and the road will be widened before paving.

The rural municipality has long been lobbying for the improvement of the road, which hydropower projects use as an access route. During discussions held a year ago among political parties, stakeholders, and elected representatives under the municipality’s coordination, hydropower developers had pledged to upgrade the road. Bhandari said the current upgrading and blacktopping work is being carried out in line with that commitment.

Chief Administrative Officer Kul Raj Paudel said Raghuganga Hydropower has already begun widening the road, constructing drainage systems, and laying the sub-base. Under the agreement, the Rahughat Hydropower Project will carry out all works except blacktopping, while other hydropower projects will contribute 20 percent of the paving costs.

Paudel said a written agreement has been signed with the project developers to complete the road upgrade by November 1.

Once completed, the upgraded and blacktopped road is expected to improve transportation access for residents of all eight wards of Raghuganga Rural Municipality. It will also facilitate the transportation of construction materials and equipment required for hydropower projects.

Several hydropower projects are operating along the Rahughat River, which flows through Raghuganga Rural Municipality. These include the 48.5 MW Upper Rahughat, the 35.5 MW Chimkhola–Rahughat–Mangale, the 21.3 MW Thulokhola, and the 22.5 MW Upper Thulokhola ‘A’ projects.

Meanwhile, the 40 MW Rahughat Hydropower Project is preparing for trial power generation. With hydropower activities increasing in the area, the need for improved local road infrastructure has become more pressing, leading to the cost-sharing initiative for road blacktopping.

Jalasarokar