Srinagar – Leh Road (2017): CLOSE
Manali – Leh Road (2017): CLOSE
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CLICK HERE to know the Manali-Leh road status for 2018
Manali-Leh highway closes for vehicular traffic
November 15, 2016: Passing through some of the highest mountain passes of the word, Manali-Leh highway, which is experiencing extreme cold conditions and some of its stretches are covered with layer of frost, is officially closed till next year. Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti administration has requested people to avoid traveling on this route.
Water sources along the highway have frozen completely. A layer of frost is covering the road at Rohtang, Baralacha, Sarchu, Keling Sarai, Taglang-la, Pang and other high altitude areas. Frost remains round the clock in shady areas, increasing possibility of skidding of the vehicles.
Apart from icing, the temperature is such that mountains can experience snowfall any time. Taking precautionary measures, the highway is officially declared closed every year on November 15. Though vehicular movement continues at own risk between Manali and Lahaul as this highway is the only lifeline to the residents but people traveling would be responsible for any accident. However, the traffic movement between Keylong (Lahaul) and Leh is almost nil.
The main risk after October 15 remains of sudden snowfall which may trap vehicles at secluded areas away from any help. Police posts from Sarchu, too, have been removed until next season. In the past, too many such incidences have put people in trouble because weather between Rohtang and Taglang-la is unpredictable which changes within a few minutes. No telephone network works in this area.
Meanwhile, vehicular traffic is still continuing on the Srinagar-Leh highway. However, its too cold at Zojila and other passes where water has started to freeze but people are still taking the risk to drive. The highway will close with the first spell of snowfall.
The best and safe way to visit Ladakh during winter months is to travel by flight from Delhi. Those who want to experience the winter life in Ladakh can book an air ticket to Leh airport which is quite safe.
UPDATE ON February 23, 2017
Snow clearance on Manali-Leh highway to start from March 1
February 23, 2017: Border Roads Organization (BRO) has planned to start snow clearing operation on the highway from Manali from March 1. Opening of the highway for vehicular traffic is expected to be delayed this season as the region has received heaviest snowfall in last five years. However, the organization is engaged in advance preparation to meet the target.
According to BRO officials, the highway has received more snow in last five years. Many stretches, especially near Rohtang and Baralacha pass, have over 20ft of snow. Many avalanches on the highway may have damaged its many stretches. The organization has airlifted its personnel including technicians from Manali and dropped in Lahaul valley in five sorties. These days organization is stressing upon clearing snow from about 80km stretch of the highway in Lahaul valley.
“Depending on weather conditions, we shall officially start snow clearance operation from Manali-Leh highway till Sarchu from March 1,” BRO commander Colonel Arvind Awasthi said. He added that the snowfall is still continuing along the highway and many stretches have completely disappeared below thick blanket of snow. “We are in regular contact with Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) to get fresh weather updates. We don’t want to spend in road clearance unnecessarily if it’s snowing continuously and if our cleared roads are blocked again with more snow.”
BRO kept many stretches of the highway in populated areas open despite heavy snowfall. Awasthi said that snow from Manali-Kothi, Sissu-Tandi, Tandi-Darcha, Thirot-Killar-Sansari, Thirot-Lot stretches has been removed and now work is on to connect Udaipur with Keylong.
Of the 474km stretch of Manali-Leh highway, 222km stretch till Sarchu receives more snow and is challenging to resume for traffic. “Our task is to clear snow till Sarchu. We carried out five sorties by chopper and dropped our personnel at Stingri and Udaipur helipads to speed up snow clearance works in Lahaul valley. We airlifted and brought back civilians of Lahaul in emergency to Manali in our return flights.”
Manali-Leh highway opens for traffic in May end or first week of June every year. It will be very difficult to clear snow from Rahni Nullah, Beas Nullah, Chumbak Mor, Rakshi Dhank and Baralacha areas. BRO personnel will have to work hard to open the highway till May end this season. Many BRO personnel have lost their lives while opening of the road in past; still the organization is working on Lahaul roads even during snowfall. Apart from doing its own road works, BRO is engaged in opening of other civilian roads and its clinic and doctors in landlocked Lahaul are serving locals of Lahaul by treating them with available resources. The BRO officials were honoured by Lala Meme Foundation on February 15 for their outstanding works.
UPDATE on March 03, 2017
Inclement weather delays snow clearing operation on Manali-Leh highway
March 03, 2017: Snow clearance operation on Manali-Leh highway that usually starts on March 1 every year has been delayed due to inclement weather conditions on the hills as it is still snowing heavily.
Border Roads Organization (BRO) spends crores of rupees on removing snow from this highway to make it motorable. Believing that clearing snow amidst snowfall does not make any sense as this is nothing but wastage of money; BRO is waiting for weather to turn favourable. This operation takes three months for over hundred personnel and a large number of dozers, snow cutters and excavators to clear the highway. Delay in starting the work means delay in its opening which can affect thousands of people living across the highway, tourism in Himachal and Ladakh and also the Indian Army which uses this highway to ferry essentials to the border areas.
BRO commander at 38 Border Road Task Force Colonel Arvind Awasthi who is responsible to undertake this operation said, “The annual task of clearing snow from the highway will start soon. We are in contact with DRDO’s Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment. It will be of no use if we open the highway after lot of efforts and fresh spell of heavy snowfall blocks the highway. We are waiting for favourable weather to start the work.”
Manali-Leh highway is strategically important and is lifeline for hundreds of villages. The highway was officially closed on October 15 and then blocked after snowfall on January 6. Many portions of the highway get covered below 30 to 40ft of snow. Cutting snow and ice to search the disappeared road becomes very risky. BRO jawans cut through many avalanches and landslides also. Extreme cold, blizzards, hypothermia, sliding snow and rolling boulders are the major risks during the operation. Many jawans have lost their lives while clearing snow from the highway.
Clearing snow from mighty Rohtang and Baralacha pass is the main challenge. BRO has planned to start the operation in multi-stages to finish it in time. Col Awasthi said that the work will start on war footings to meet the target. “We know importance of the highway. We have made a strategy. The terrain along highway has received highest snow in last five years. Still we shall complete the task well within time.”
UPDATE on March 19, 2017
Snowfall continues; snow clearance to start soon
March 19, 2017: Snow clearance on Manali-Leh highway has not yet started officially thanks to inclement weather all this month. The good news is that weather has now turned sunny and Border Roads Organization (BRO) is clearing snow from Kaylong-Koksar and Keylong-Baralacha stretches. The organization has informed us that they will officially start clearing snow from Manali side after performing puja for safety of men and machine within a week. The bad new is that local meteorological centre has predicted more snowfall on hills in news few days. Hotels in Keylong and Jispa are accepting advance booking from mid-May but hoteliers fear huge losses if the road doesn’t open by that time. The conclusion: Bad weather conditions, more snow on mountain passes than previous few years and delay in snow clearance operation indicate towards definite delay in the opening of the road this season. Meanwhile, snow clearance from Srinagar-Leh highway has started from Gagangir a few days back. The Zojila pass between Sonmarg and Drass has also received very heavy snowfall this season.
UPDATE on March 23, 2017
BRO starts “snow clearance operation” on Manali-Leh highway
March 23, 2017: The Border Roads Organization (BRO) on Thursday started its snow clearance operation on strategically important Manali-Leh highway after organizing a puja for the safety of its men and machinery at Gulaba, 23km from Manali.
BRO has set a target of May month to restore traffic on Manali-Rohtang-Keylong highway, while it will take few more days to clear snow till Sarchu, 222km from Manali. Sarchu-Leh stretch is expected to open by early May. Cutting 5 to 10ft of snow at Gulaba is proving a herculean task. The BRO personnel have cleared snow till Rahla Fall, 4km beyond Gulaba. Its machinery is engaged here amidst mild fresh snowfall. Restoring Rohtang and Baralacha pass is the most difficult task. The main challenge is to clear snow till Sarchu and “Project Deepak” of BRO executes this task.
“The snow accumulation is increasing gradually as we are gaining altitude. Many avalanches have come on the highway and snow thickness at some places could be more than 30ft,” second-in-command, BRO, Lieutenant Colonel Mayank Mehta, who is also officiating commander, said. He added that inclement weather has been main challenge before them. “We have cleared some stretches three times as more snowfall blocks the road again and again. We have set a target to clear snow from Rohtang till May and we are working hard to achieve the target.”
Mehta added that snow clearance operation has started simultaneously at four places to speed up the work. “A team from Gulaba and another team from Sissu in Lahaul are moving towards Rohtang pass. Two another teams are clearing snow within Lahaul. The main team from Gulaba comprises of nearly 45 personnel, two snow cutters, three dozers and one excavator. All of the machines are operational and performing well,” he said.
Manali-Leh highway had blocked following heavy snowfall on January 6. BRO’s official starting clearing snow from the road has provided relief to the residents of Lahaul and Ladakh. As the entire length of the highway is covered with thick layer of snow and ice, which is more than previous many years’, the opening of road for vehicular traffic is expected to delay this year. However, BRO officials are determined to open the road on time. Braving bone chilling cold, blizzards and heavy snowfall, BRO is moving ahead smoothly. Many workers of BRO have lost life while clearing the snow. Avalanches are the main threat before BRO.
UPDATE on April 22, 2017
BRO clears road till Rohtang pass
April 22, 2017: This news has come as a surprise. Border Roads Organization (BRO) has cleared snow from Manali-Rohtang highway. Snow from Keylong-Rohtang highway is expected to be cleared by April 24. With the clearing of remaining stretch of about 3km to the north of Rohtang, Keylong will connect with Manali via Rohtang pass. However, it will take a few more days to allow vehicular traffic on this road. Initially, only local vehicles will be allowed while tourists vehicles are expected to reach Rohtang by mid-May.
BRO will now concentrate on clearing snow from Keylong-Sarchu stretch. It may take another one month to connect Sarchu with Manali. Snow clearance work on either side of Zojila pass is continuing on war footing to open Srinagar-Leh highway. It may take at least 15 more days to clear snow from the highway and another few days to declare the highway safe for the movement of civilians. Meanwhile, work is underway to clear snow from Kaza-Kunzum pass-Manali highway.
As the temperature soars, with day temperature of Manali being recorded at 26/27 degrees C, the speed of melting of snow has also increased. The rivers and all water streams are in spate. Residents claim that they have never seen such a sharp rise in temperature in mid-April. The snow cover on hills is disappearing which has helped BRO clear snow fast.
Now, the expected date of opening of Manali-Leh highway is May 25 and Srinagar-Leh highway may open by May 15.
UPDATE on April 25, 2017
BRO clears snow from Rohtang pass, Manali connects with Keylong
April 25, 2017: Cutting through 10 to 30ft thick layer of snow and ice, Border Roads Organization (BRO) has cleared Manali-Rohtang-Keylong highway and vehicular traffic on this road will be allowed within a week, BRO officials disclosed.
“We have cleared snow from the highway. A huge landslide below Marhi has blocked the road. Machines have been engaged to clear the debris. Traffic will also be allowed very soon,” BRO’s 38 Border Road Task Force second-in-command Lieutenant Colonel Mayank Mehta said. He added that work is continuing to clear snow from Keylong-Sarchu road on Manali-Leh axis.
Over a dozen spells of snowfall since January 6 had blocked the highway completely. BRO started clearing snow from this road in March and Manali-Keylong road over Rohtang was expected to connect in mid-May as the region was deep under a thick layer of snow. “We worked day and night. Both young and our experienced jawans kept moving forward in all circumstances and cleared snow well before the target. We had to cut over 30ft of snow at many places,” Mehta added.
If the weather remains favourable, Manali-Leh highway is expected to open for traffic by May 25. A group of jawans and machines is moving towards 16,050ft high Baralacha pass. The fresh snowfall is posing a challenge to BRO. A layer of fresh snow has accumulated on the highway at Rohtang and Baralacha pass. Snowfall continued on Monday but the work did not stop. The organization will now widen the highway and make some parking arrangements at Rohtang before general traffic flow is allowed. Once the debris of landslide is cleared, emergency vehicles will be able to cross Rohtang pass.
UPDATE on April 28, 2017
Manali-Leh highway to open by May 25: BRO
April 28, 2017: Strategically important Manali-Leh highway will open for vehicular traffic till May 25 while Gramphu-Kaza highway passing through Kunzum pass is expected to open by the end of June, an official said on Friday. Rohtang pass was officially opened for both light and heavy vehicles on Friday after gap of four months.
Chief engineer, Project Deepak of Border Roads Organization (BRO), Mohan Lal, visited Rohtang pass on Friday to take stock of the current progress of snow clearance on different roads. He said snow from Keylong-Tandi-Sansari road has been cleared and Manali-Rohtang-Keylong road has also been thrown open for vehicles. “Of the 474km-long Manali-Leh highway, project Deepak takes care of road till Sarchu, 222km from Manali. This stretch of the highway is challenging. After Rohtang, we shall now concentrate on clearing snow from Baralacha pass to connect Sarchu. Currently, we have cleared snow till Patseo bridge, 162km from Manali,” he said.
According to chief engineer, Kunzum pass that connects Spiti valley from Lahaul has experienced many avalanches and landslides and some stretches have upto 70ft of snow. “Our machines and jawans are moving towards Kunzum pass as well. Kaza, headquarter of Spiti, is expected to connect with Gramphu and Manali by the end of June. We expect to connect Sarchu with Manali till May 25 and jawans of project Himank from Leh are also moving towards Sarchu from opposite direction.”
Snow clearance tasks on border roads is very expensive. Snow clearance from Manali-Leh highway costs many crores rupees. 38 BRTF gets additional Rs 2 crore for air support to help ground staff in clearing the snow from Manali-Sarchu highway. The chief engineer said this fund is for airlifting persons, supplying fuel and spare parts and other things by helicopter. We used only Rs 60 lakh and saved Rs 1.4 crore so far, he said.
With heavy winter snowfall, Rohtang region has experienced several avalanches and landslides. Despite this the highway has been opened in April, otherwise organization had set a target to clear snow by May. Chief engineer applauded the officers and jawans for this achievement.
UPDATE on May 09, 2017
BRO clears snow from Srinagar-Leh highway
May 09, 2017: Border Roads Organization (BRO) has cleared snow from Srinagar-Leh highway. BRO officials said that their machinery has cleared snow from Zojila pass and Drass (in Kargil) has connected with Sonmarg (in Kashmir). However, it may take couple of days to allow traffic on the road as organization is engaged in widening and repairing of the road. Tourist vehicles will be allowed after some days when the road would be declared safe for general movement. BRO had to cut through 40 to 60ft high walls of snow at some places. Meanwhile, BRO is advancing towards Baralacha pass on Manali-Leh highway. The region is deep under the snow. Fresh spells of snow are delaying snow clearance operation. This highway is expected to be thrown open for vehicles by end of this month.
UPDATE on May 23, 2017
Rohtang pass opens for tourists after six months
May 23, 2017: Rohtang pass, the main tourist destination of Himachal, has been thrown open for tourists with immediate effect after a gap of six months. With this, all tourist places of Himachal will see sharp increase in tourist arrival in few days as everybody was waiting to hear this news.
“We have decided to declare Rohtang pass open for tourists with immediate effect after recommendation of Border Roads Organization (BRO) commanding officer. Permit to visit Rohtang is now available online,” Kullu deputy commissioner Yunus said. He added that daily limit of tourists vehicles that can go to Rohtang is 800 petrol vehicles and 400 diesel vehicles as directed by National Green Tribunal (NGT). “Permit fee of Rs 500 and congestion charges of Rs 50 per vehicle are required to pay online to be eligible to book the permit.”
Lakhs of tourists were waiting for Rohtang pass to open and were postponing their trip to Himachal. Large numbers of tourists who visit Shimla, Dharamshala or Dalhousie make sure that Rohtang pass is not missed from their itinerary. Rohtang is the only destination in Himachal where snow is available for almost 10 months a year and is easily accessible by road. This is because of Rohtang pass that Manali has become most visited hill station of the country. The pass has currently 5 to 15ft of snow which is expected to last till June end.
The DC Yunus said that adequate arrangements have been made for safety of tourists and smooth running of the tourists. “Tourists who are new to the area should take extra precaution while driving on the steep road to Rohtang with dozens of hair pin bends. Mobile toilets have been stationed at various locations. Concerned authorities may stop tourist movement to Rohtang during bad weather condition as a preventive and precautionary measure,” he added.
No tourist vehicle would be allowed to ply on Manali-Rohtang highway on Tuesday as the day is reserved by BRO for maintenance of the road. For the convenience of tourists, 600 permits can be booked at 12pm and online window to remaining 600 permits open at 5pm every day. Heavy vehicle will have to pay congestion charges of Rs 100. Vehicles going beyond Rohtang pass will pay only congestion charges. Those vehicles that will book permit to go beyond Rohtang but will come from Rohtang will be blacklisted from booking permit.
UPDATE on May 25, 2017
Manali-Leh road to reopen in first week of June
BRO expects to link Manali with Leh in end of May
May 25, 2017: Military convoy, locals and tourists will have to wait for one more week for opening of strategically important Manali-Leh highway as snow clearance is taking too much time near 16,050ft high Baralacha pass, 191km from here.
Border Roads Organization (BRO) had set a target to open this highway till May 25 but many spells of fresh snowfall, deep snow and damaged road conditions delayed the opening date. Snow has been cleared from 252km Leh-Sarchu highway which is maintained by project Himank of BRO. 222km Sarchu-Manali highway is maintained under project Deepak of BRO. BRO officials said they need at least one more week to link road from Manali with Sarchu.
BRO officer commandant Lieutenant Colonel Vijay Kumar said 192.5km road from Manali towards Sarchu has been cleared and now they have about 30km stretch to clear. “We have moved beyond mighty Baralacha pass. We have dealt with all major difficulties. We hope to reach Keling Sarai in a day or two. Snow will be cleared till Sarchu within a week. We then need two three more days for minor maintenance before allowing vehicular traffic on this road,” he said.
Rohtang and Baralacha pass are the main challenges before BRO. The jawans have moved 1km ahead of Baralacha. “Baralacha has 10 to 20ft snow. The remaining stretch till Sarchu is covered under 4-5ft snow. Now we can move ahead with a constant speed. We shall allow traffic on Manali-Leh highway in first week of June. We hope for good weather conditions in next few days,” Kumar added.
Manali-Leh highway was officially closed on October 15. Summer snow clearance on the highway had started in March. Thousands of tourists are desperately waiting for opening of this highway. Many tourists who had planned to go to Leh by road from Manali in May end had to cancel or postpone their trip. Soon after opening of the highway, military convoy will start supplying essential commodities to the border areas through this route.
UPDATE on June 2, 2017
Manali-Leh road to open officially on June 8
June 2, 2017: A BRO official disclosed today that the strategically important Manali-Leh highway that was officially closed on October 15 last year will be thrown open for general traffic on June 8. According to BRO officials, they have cleared snow from 222-km-long Manali-Sarchu highway and now they are engaged in widening and maintenance of the road. They had cleared snow from the entire stretch on May 30 but as the surface condition at many stretches is not good, they will allow traffic only after basic maintenance.
38 Border Roads Task Force (BRTF) commander Colonel AK Awasthi said the road will officially be declared open on June 8. He said that clearing snow from 13,050ft high Rohtang pass and 16,050ft high Baralacha pass was the main challenge. “We had to cut through 10 to 30ft of snow. Avalanches and landslides posed threat to the jawans and machinery. Still, we succeeded in clearing snow without any harm to our men and machines,” he said.
Manali-Leh highway has four major passes. Project Himank of BRO has already cleared snow between Leh and Sarchu.
CLICK HERE to know the Manali-Leh road status for 2018
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Click here to know the Manali-Leh Road Status for 2020
—Stay tuned to get fresh updates—
Disclaimer: The date of opening of Manali-Leh and Srinagar-Leh highway is not determined by anybody as it totally depends on weather conditions. Opening of these highway totally depends on intensity of snowfall in winter months, weather during clearing of snow, more snowfall in April and May months, temperature and many other aspects. Discover Leh Ladakh does not guarantee the accuracy of date of opening of the highway. This is just an estimation made as per inputs from BRO and sight visit by our own team members.
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