Bharatpur Hospital Treats 122 Snakebite Cases as Highway Blockage Doubles Air Traffic

Bharatpur has been grappling with two converging pressures this monsoon: a surge in snakebite cases at the district hospital as the rainy farming season drives more dangerous encounters, and a sharp spike in air passengers after the Prithvi Highway was blocked by road subsidence at Krishnabhir. Both stories reflect the strain that a single difficult season places on the infrastructure of a rapidly growing regional hub in Chitwan.

Bharatpur Hospital Handles 122 Snakebite Cases Since July

Bharatpur Hospital has treated 122 snakebite patients since the start of July, with 12 of those cases requiring antisnake venom due to bites from venomous species. According to the hospital's emergency room chief Alauddin Miyan, 56 patients arrived in July and 66 in August — a significant seasonal caseload that tracks closely with the farming and monsoon calendar, when encounters with snakes in fields and waterlogged terrain become far more common. Of the 12 patients who received antisnake venom, all were admitted to the intensive care unit for observation and treatment. The hospital draws patients not only from Chitwan district but from Nawalpur, Makwanpur, Tanahu, and other surrounding districts, underscoring its role as a regional centre for serious snakebite injuries. Last year, the facility handled a total of 491 such cases across the full year. Miyan described the symptoms that distinguish a venomous bite from a non-venomous one: venomous bites cause abdominal pain, weakness, drooping eyelids, paralysis of the limbs, vomiting, and fainting, while non-venomous bites produce only localised wounds and swelling. Bites from the green tree snake, found in the area, can cause excessive bleeding and swelling. He urged anyone bitten to remain still, bind the bitten limb to slow blood circulation, and reach the nearest hospital without delay. Venomous species known to be active in the region include cobra, krait, and viper. [5]

🏢 Air Passenger Demand Surges After Prithvi Highway Blocked at Krishnabhir

Demand for flights between Bharatpur and Kathmandu has more than doubled after road subsidence damaged and blocked sections of the Prithvi Highway, including the critical segment at Krishnabhir. Buddha Air, currently the only airline operating on the route, has responded by scaling up from its normal five daily flights to as many as 11 a day depending on passenger load, according to Bhakta Bahadur Basnet, the airline's Bharatpur office head. The airline deploys ATR 72 aircraft on the sector, which carry approximately 65 to 70 passengers from Kathmandu to Bharatpur and around 50 on the return leg — a capacity difference explained by the relatively short runway at Bharatpur Airport, which prevents the planes from operating at their full load of 72 passengers on departure. Travellers who cannot use the blocked highway have the option of the alternative route through Makwanpur, but ongoing monsoon conditions have made air travel the more practical and popular choice for the season. Demand is also arriving from beyond Chitwan: passengers from Nawalparasi, Gorkha, Tanahun, Lamjung, and Makwanpur are travelling to Bharatpur Airport to access the Kathmandu link, making the airport a regional hub for inter-city connectivity during a period when ground transport has been severely disrupted. [8]

Sources: [5] Ratopati · [8] myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com