Authority are not concerned for renovation of Manamaya ‘Khanidanda’ Airport of Khotang as the heavy rain has caused soil erosion that is disrupting operation at the airport.
Heavy rain in last monsoon blocked the drainage that led water to be clogged in the runway which later burstec and have started wearing out soils around the airport that may fully destruct the airport but no concerned authority have shown any interest in repairing it.
The clogged water in runway made its path from the side of the runway that has already eroded 10-15 meter of soil. Due to this, around 2-3 meter of runway has already been eradicated but still no one have tried to fix the drainage problem.
The heavy rain had washed away slab which blocked the water flow. As the monsoon is near, the risk in airport has increased even more due to lack of interest from authorities.
This is the second time the problem has aroused. Last time in 2069, same problem was faced by the airport and the problem was fixed temporarily. If the renovation of the airport is not done on time then it will bring more complication to the airport reports NAC station in charge at the airport.
The white marking in runway has also cracked and southern part of the airport has started destructing. According to locals, due to clogged drainage all the water flows from the runway and airport construction consumer committee said that the airport will be in great risk of landslide if it’s not checked on time.
The airport construction was started in 2060 with the help of land provided by locals in free and in 2062 Nepal Army and Nepal Airlines made maiden flights in the airport. It is the nearest airport in the district from the district headquarter.
