Your Excellency! We want your aid once again

Ah, the bird must leave the nest eventually. But the bird [read Nepal government] barely leaves the nest. Instead of spreading its wings, it rather calls on foreign patrons for nesting and provisioning.

The context is Bisheshwar Prasad Koirala, or BP Koirala Highway and the foreign patron is Nepal government’s Japanese counterpart.

This September, floods and landslides severely damaged the BP Highway requiring reconstruction while the route still remains impassable three months later.

Understanding the basic geography should help us navigate the highway’s significance before we enter the Japanese purview.

BP Highway numbered ‘13’ in national highways’ list, i.e. NH 13, runs 160 kilometres over four road sections as per official records. It begins diverging north from East West or Mahendra Highway (NH 01) at Bardibas in Madhesh Province’s Mahottari district. About 16 kilometres north with a few turns, the highway enters Bagmati Province and simultaneously Sindhuli district. It runs an additional 21 kilometres to reach Sindhuli Bazaar, marking the first section of 37 kilometres. The second section spans 36 kilometres between Sindhuli Bazaar and Khurkot and the third section with another 37 kilometres of Khurkot-Nepalthok.  The fourth and final 50 kilometres from Nepalthok to Dhulikhel in Kavrepalanchok district, where the highway converges with Araniko Highway (NH 34).

Add 30 kilometres from Dhulikhel to capital valley Kathmandu on Araniko Highway, the total travel measures 190 kilometres.

Colloquially known as Sindhuli Road, the highway is the shortest getaway to and fro eastern plains and Kathmandu with travel distance between Bardibas and Kathmandu about five hours. 

It came into operation only in March 2015.

Earlier, the only route to and fro Bardibas at NH 01 was through the Madan Ashrit Highway connecting Mugling-Narayanghat (NH 44), running as long as 340 kilometres and taking nine hours to complete one leg.

With the most touted alternative, the highway marked a milestone in the country’s road infrastructure with most of its part ascending and descending Chure and Mahabharat hills, the lower and youngest himalayas.

The highway constructed through himalayas of sedimentary rocks and soil deposits didn’t come as aesthetically as its hairpin turns appear in pictures. It required careful construction, meaning well off engineering support and cost.

The tale of a trail transforming into a national highway dates back nearly two decades ago. While government documents cite the project was initiated as early as 1960 with a trail constructed manually.

Nonetheless, here comes the Nepali bird’s Japanese patron.

The Japanese government through its Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) provided a total NRs 26 billion worth grant and engineering support, with construction beginning in November 1996 following a feasibility study in 1988. The construction was completed in March 2015. 

The construction was led by the Japanese company, Hazama-Ando Corporation, alongside various Nepali contractors and subcontractors. 

The corporation, a global company, is one of Japan’s largest construction companies with approx. NRs 135.3 billion in equity, NRs 347.4 billion net sales and NRs 12.23 billion net income and 3,691 employees while Japan’s construction sector is a key pillar of its economy.

But a month later, the catastrophic earthquake struck, damaging the newly built road to an extent of needing post-disaster reconstruction.

At this point, it made sense for the Nepal government to approach its Japanese counterpart for assistance. To which, the latter agreed for an extended support focusing on reconstruction, road safety improvements, landslides prevention and enhancement of the overall infrastructure.

The Japanese patron re-nested the highway under its provisioning for post earthquake recovery that included housing reconstruction, disaster management and infrastructure development.

That’s the humbleness of the Japanese who provisioned an additional NRs 1.08 billion alongside technical assistance, and handed over a renewed highway in 2021.

Not only has the highway helped passengers commute, but also drove a new avenue for mobility of freight and created local economic opportunities. Moreover, Bardibas, from a rural transit on Mahendra Highway, flourished into a round-the-clock-open town, thanks to the highway.

Needless to say how the torrential rain-induced disaster blew connectivity across the country at the edge of people’s mobility to observe and celebrate festivals. Air travel options were sold out at soaring prices and all possible road routes were damaged. People had to take unconventional trips or cancel their festivals at home to remain safe where they were.

The September rain-swollen Roshi Khola swept away kilometres of road along the highway, most of which are located in Nepalthok (Sindhuli) and Mangaltar (Kavrepalanchok) on the sidelines of the youngest himalayas.

Traffic is now open 24x7 on the highway following immediate patchworks by the federal Department of Roads (DoR). The route however runs on and off narrow road and track on Roshi Khola riverbed filled with dust, causing long traffic jams and subsequently inflating the travel time by as much as four times.

Similarly, Sunkoshi River floods in Mulkot (Sindhuli) did not cause much damage to the road, but settlements, local eateries and shops, and [higher investment] tourism businesses like hotels were destroyed.

A preliminary assessment estimates NRs 46.68 billion worth of loss and damage due to the disaster. Of which, NRs 27.98 billion alone was incurred on 41 roads and highways across the country. Reportedly, the DoR estimates the reconstruction of BP Highway at NRs 7 billion over a period of two years.

The Nepali bird has yet again eyed the Japanese patron to provide nesting and provisioning for the BP Highway.

The chief of the Nepali flock has conveyed his counterpart through its messenger, requesting for a reconstruction, estimated to require ‘a large capital and technical assistance’. He without second thoughts rallied, “So we want Japanese support once again.” 

The economy is not doing well, rather has been struggling for ages now. Financial constraints, the lack of technical expertise and the geographical and environmental challenges — all are understandable. But there must be an inflection point — from the grip of poor governance, corruption, bad financial planning and this relentless dependence on donors.

BP Highway is just one case that reveals Nepal’s failure on learning technology and building up its own construction capabilities. 

Despite over two decades of Japanese support in this particular project, little did Nepali state actors (read political leadership and bureaucracy) focus on technology transfer or appropriating capital to rebuild a project that has already been rebuilt on grant twice. 

Meanwhile, the Japanese government is also aiding in the construction of the Nagdhunga Tunnel (including Balambu flyover), which is near completion, where it bears NRs 16.29 billion of the total estimated cost of NRs 22.14 billion under concessional financing. And it’s Japan’s construction giant Hazama-Ando Corporation yet again at the helm of the project. 

But here’s a catch 22: once this infrastructure inevitably deteriorates, are we going to depend on Japan, once again, to foot the bill for its rebuilding and maintenance? After all, disasters are here to stay.

This dependency is so deeply entrenched that the second phase of ring road expansion in the national capital, 11.6 kilometres long Kalanki-Chabahil section, has been awaiting China’s nod. 

The first phase, 10.8 kilometres long Kalanki-Koteshwor section, with an underpass, was built on Chinese grant, which was completed in 2018. It’s been six years since the second stretch is in limbo.

In stark contrast, the country’s construction sector reels under government inefficiency, leaving a significant amount of capital budget earmarked for infrastructures unspent. Delayed payments are crippling the domestic contractors and stalling crucial projects.

While a less complex infrastructure as the flyover at Gwarko — at the very section the Chinese built — is yet to complete, almost reaching three years since the construction began. This time it's a domestic investment and a local contractor.

What should ideally showcase our growing capabilities after decades of seeing someone else financing and building for us, the country still reels under systemic challenges.

Ultimately, the question remains: can Nepal ever take genuine ownership of its vital infrastructure — or the case rests in the court of ‘Your Excellency’?