Bhutan: Construction of check dams proving successful in preventing Aieslip roadblock

At Aieslip, the structures which were built around two months ago have proved to be a success so far. This has come as a huge relief to commuters along the stretch, which has been experiencing landslides every summer, for over a decade, reports The Bhutan Live.

The Aieslip stretch is located eight kilometres away from Gelephu town.

The road is usually used by travellers, especially from Zhemgang, Trongsa, Bumthang and Sarpang.

However, every summer they dread roadblocks on the road as soon as the monsoon season starts. The erstwhile Department of Roads used to spend millions of ngultrum annually just to keep the road open to traffic, the news portal reported.

The situation has improved significantly since the construction of the  check dams.

“It has become convenient this year compared to last year after the construction of the dams. We don’t get stuck on the road anymore,” Kinzang, a taxi driver, told The Bhutan Live.

“It has become much safer to travel on this road now. In the past, they used to keep an excavator on either side of the stretch to clear the road. It used to be very risky driving through this point because of shooting boulders,” said Madhan Kumar Rai, a resident.