Ropeways in Nepal

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Ropeways in Nepal, which mainly refers to the aerial ropeways, are used for human and cargo transport. In the ‘Nepal Country Report’ of 1976 by the world bank concluded that construction and maintenance of roads in mountainous are costly due to hilly terrain, and thus other means of transport should be studied mainly indicating to the ropeways. However, ropeways have not gained significant popularity over roadways. In the Ninth Five-year Plan ropeway was encouraged with and involvement of the private sector. But no provision in the national budget was made for ropeway development. Nonetheless, private sector has initiated the construction and operation of ropeways mainly in lucrative places such as religious temple.[1][2]

History[edit]

The first ropeway to carry cargo was Halchowk-Lainchour ropeway which was used to transport stones from the quarry to build palaces.[1] The famous, Dhorsing-chisapnai-Chandragiri ropeway passing into Kathmandu was built by Chandra Shamser Rana in 1922. It was upgraded in 1964 to reach to Hetauda with a total length of 42 km with technical and financial assistance from USAID.[2]

Types of ropeways in Nepal[edit]

Following are the types of ropeways based on the operation mechanism and types of transport.

Tar pul or Ghirling[edit]

Also known as twin, these are rudimentary ropeways used in lieu of bridges to cross rivers. These are generally installed by the local community based on necessity. As of May 2004, there are 25 Tar Pul in Kavre, Gorkha, Myagdi, Udaypur, Chitwan and Lamjung [2]

Tar pul or Ghirling or Tuin

Gravity Ropeways[edit]

A gravity ropeway operates by using potential energy with mechanical power. A weight lowered from a higher elevation lifts the cargo.[3] Ropeways of this type were first used in Mustang to transport apples. Since then they have been installed in four other locations: Gorkha, Tanahun, Kalikot and Achham.[1] Most of the construction ropeways fall in this category.

Cargo Ropeways[edit]

Cargo ropeways are used in Nepal to transport goods from one place to another. The first ropeway, Halchowk-Lainchour, was in fact a cargo ropeway. The most famous cargo ropeway was the Kathmandu-Hetauda Ropeway, which is now out of operation.

Kathmandu-Hetauda Cargo Ropeway

Passenger ropeways[edit]

Mostly electrically operated, these kinds of ropeways or Cable Cars are used by passengers. The first of this kind was Manakamana Cable Car, established in 1998.

Manakamana Passenger Ropeway

List of ropeways in Nepal[edit]

This list does not include the smaller ghirlings, which are more numerous.

Name Location (From - To) Type (Cargo or Passenger) Length (m) Capacity Description Operation date (Start-End) Current Status Construction cost Photo
Adhi khola ropeway [2] Syangja Cargo 1200 300 kg Used to transport construction material for Adhikhola Hydropower Project 1985 Non-functional NPR 2.3 Million No photo
Jimhruk khola ropeway[2] Syangja, Madi-to construction sites Cargo 1200 800 kg Used to transport construction material for Jhimruk Khola Hydropower Project 1990 Non-functional NPR 3.5 Million No photo
Khimti Ropeway [2] Kirene- construction sites Cargo 2100 Used to transport construction material for Khimti I Hydropower Project Non-functional NPR 35 Million No photo
Hetauda Cement Factory Ropeway Hetauda Quarry site-factory Cargo 11,000 150 tonn/hr Used to transport stones Non-functional No photo
Bhattedanda Milkway [4] Lalitpur, Bhattedada-Jhakridada Cargo 3022 450 kg Used to transport milk and khuwa (खुवा) 1995–2001, 2002- Unknown No photo
Bharpak Ropeway [5] Gorkha Cargo Used to transport general merchandise. Stopped working after the accident. 1998-1999 Non-functional
Manakamana Cable Car Chitwan Passenger 2772 600 person/hour Transport to the Manakamana Temple from Prithvi Highway 1998 In operation
Manakamana Cable Car
Chandragiri Cable Car Kathmandu, Thankot to Chandragiri Passenger 2400 1000 person/hour Transport to Bhaleshwor Mahadev temple 2016 In operation
Chadragiri
Tri Chandra Nepal Tara Ropeway (Kathmandu-Hetauda Ropeway) [1] Kathmandu-Hetauda Cargo 42,300 22 tonn/day [6] Used to transport cargo 1964-1994 Non-functional No photo
Dorsing-Chisapani-Kathmandu [1] Kathmandu Cargo 22,000 It was upgraded to Kathmandu-Hetauda Ropeway in 1964. Engineer was Dilli Jung Thapa. 1922 Non-functional No photo
Halchowk-Lainchour [1] Kathmandu Cargo 4,000 Used to transport stones. 1924 Non-functional No photo
Janagaun Gravity Ropeway [7] Cargo Used to transport food and medicines. Installed by Practical Action Nepal 2005 In Operation No photo
Bishaltar Gravity Ropeway [8] Kathmandu Cargo Used to transport food and medicines. Installed by Practical Action Nepal. 2007 In Operation No photo
Kalinchowk Cable Car [9] Dolkha, (Kuri to Kalinchok Bhagawati Temple Passenger 1,000 Passenger to the temple. 2018 In operation
Sangakot Cable Car [10] Pokhara, Phewatal to Sarankot Passenger 2,500 Passenger to the temple. 2020 Under construction NPR 1 Arab and 10 Crores. No photo
Kharidunga mine ropeway Dolakha, Sindhupalchowk (Kharidhunga to Lamosanghu) Cargo 10,300 Transport talc and magnesium mine at Kharidhunga. 2020 Non-functional
Kharidunga mine ropeway
Udayapur cement mine ropeway Udayapur, (Sindhali-hill to factory) Cargo 13,800 Transport limestone. 1987 In Operation No photo

Projects under consideration[edit]

Accidents and safety[edit]

  • In cargo type ropeways, accidents such as falling off of the bucket (as in Adhi Khola and Jimruk Khola ropeways) usually are not fatal.[2]
  • Four people riding in the ropeway car at Bhapak Ropeway died when the hauling cable snapped on 7 May 1999.[5]
  • The Chandragiri cable car stopped in mid-air once for 40 minutes and twice for 10 minutes on separate occasions in 2020, inducing panic among the passengers.[12]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Flying in a ropeway over Nepal - Nepali Times". Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Gywanwali, Deepak; Dixit, Ajaya; Upadhya, Madhukar (2004). Ropeways in Nepal. pp. 88–94.
  3. ^ Aerial Ropeways of Nepal (PDF). Practical Action.
  4. ^ Gywanwali, Deepak; Dixit, Ajaya; Upadhya, Madhukar (2004). Ropeways in Nepal. pp. 107–142.
  5. ^ a b Gywanwali, Deepak; Dixit, Ajaya; Upadhya, Madhukar (2004). Ropeways in Nepal. pp. 143–155.
  6. ^ "Ropeway in Nepal - Cable Car in Nepal- Roam Around Nepal". My Blog. 2019-08-09. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  7. ^ "Gravity goods ropeway an alternative sustainable solution for rural transportation with out hampering to the natural environment and climate: A case study from Janagaun village". IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 6. 2009-02-01. doi:10.1088/1755-1307/6/20/202019.
  8. ^ Parikh, Priti; Lamb, Andrew. Trade and Mobilityon the Rooftop of the World: GravityRopeways in Nepal (PDF). GDEE.
  9. ^ "Kalinchok starts Nepal's third cable car service". Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  10. ^ "Phewatal-Sarangkot cable car almost completed". Highlights Tourism. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  11. ^ Shrestha, A. (2018), Cable Car from Birethanti of Kaski to Muktinath, retrieved 17 May 2023
  12. ^ "Chandragiri cable car stops midair, panicked customers demand refund". Retrieved 1 July 2020.

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