In the region where the toughest winter of recent years is experienced, the Van-Bahçesaray road, where meters of snow are present, was closed on December 22 to prevent citizens from facing danger and to avoid new avalanche disasters. The road, where security measures are at the highest level, members of the “Avalanche Detection and Monitoring Commission” established within AFAD also visit the region at certain times and conduct controls.
The work started on February 13 to open the road was stopped due to effective snowfall and the ongoing risk of avalanche. In the road where transportation has not been provided for months and where meters of snow are present for the most part, the teams of the Highways 11th Regional Directorate have started working again. In the region where the snow thickness reaches 7 meters in some places, the teams continue their work cautiously due to the risk of avalanche and have opened 21 kilometers of the 51-kilometer closed section of the road.
The teams, conducting a laborious work on the slopes of high mountains, are progressing by creating a tunnel of snow in the region where many avalanches occur. It is expected that the road, where the thickness of the snow exceeds the height of the construction machines and where electricity poles fall due to avalanches falling in many points, will be opened to traffic after the 15-20 day work. Access to the district is provided through the Hizan district of Bitlis due to the closure of the Van-Bahçesaray road.
Emin Kaplan, who lives in the settlement unit Yukarı Narlıca Mahallesi, where transportation is provided on the road, said that more snow fell this year compared to previous years. Kaplan stated that the region is still under snow in spring and said, “While spring is experienced 20 kilometers below our neighborhood, there is still a very harsh winter here. The road to Bahçesaray passes through here. In 2020, 2 avalanches occurred and great pains were experienced. This year, when a lot of snow fell, they did not open the road for transportation. They started the work as of yesterday. Winter lasts at least 6 months here. The snow stays on the ground until June. In some points, the snow stays on the ground without melting.” Turan Kaya, who stated that more than 2 meters of snow falls in the village every year, said, “We store our provisions because the road is closed. While there is summer weather in some places, there is snow here. The Bahçesaray road has been closed for a long time. The people of Bahçesaray go to Van through Bitlis with a journey that lasts for hours. This situation is very distressing. Finally, the work has started. In some places, the snow thickness is more than 5 meters. May God help the teams, their work is very difficult. They also take the risk of avalanche. If it rains, an avalanche can come. We need to be careful.”
