Humla Linked to National Road Network

Humla, the last district of Nepal without road access, has now been officially connected to the national road network. This was made possible after the completion of a bailey bridge over the Chuwa River in Kharpunath Rural Municipality-5 as part of the Karnali Corridor project.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli inaugurated the bridge on Sunday, marking a historic moment for the people of Humla. The bridge is considered a “lifeline” for road access in the district.

Humla was the only district that had not yet been connected to Nepal’s national road system. Although work had started 26 years ago, the district headquarters Simkot was never formally linked until now.

The road stretches 510 kilometers from Jamuniya in Banke to Hilsa in Humla. This route will link Karnali Province to both southern and northern international trade routes, which, according to PM Oli, will help in boosting foreign trade as well.

Dream of Road Access

With the opening of this bridge, the decades-long dream of the people of Humla to have road access has come true. The bailey bridge over Chuwa River finally links Simkot to the rest of Nepal.

The Karnali Corridor, declared a national pride project, was first started in 1999 (2056 BS). It aims to connect Nepalgunj-Jamunaha in the south to Hilsa on the Nepal-China border in the north—a total distance of 682 kilometers.

The goal was to link Surkhet (the capital of Karnali Province) to Simkot and then up to Hilsa. Initially, the Department of Roads was responsible for building 410 kilometers of the corridor up to Hilsa.

From 2012/13 to 2022/23, the government allocated Rs 4.10 billion to open a 145 km track and build four bridges on the Hilsa-Simkot section, as per the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport’s annual report.

Out of the total 145 km, 130 km of track has been opened so far, showing a physical progress of 22.5%.

Budget and Progress

The central government allocated Rs 3.23 billion for the project. Out of this, Rs 2.21 billion was spent, and Rs 1.19 billion was returned, according to the Hilsa–Simkot road plan.

The Nepal Army was also involved in road construction. They were assigned in March 2015 to build a 123 km section from Khulalu in Kalikot to Sallisalla in Humla. They completed the work in July 2021.

This helped connect several rural municipalities in Humla—Tajakot, Adanchuli, Chankheli, and Sarkegad—to the national road network.

Now, with road access to southern parts of the district, vehicles including 15–20 Bolero jeeps and 30–35 goods trucks travel daily between Nepalgunj, Surkhet, Kalikot, and Sallisalla in Humla.

Among all 77 districts of Nepal, Humla’s Simkot was the only one still not connected by road—a situation long seen as tragic by the local people. Now, that gap has finally been closed, fulfilling a 26-year-old dream.