Broken bridges, landslides, blocked roads add to the monsoon misery of Kumaon hill villages

Broken bridges, landslides, blocked roads add to the monsoon misery of Kumaon hill villages

B.D.Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, July 17

With heavy rains predicted in Kumoan region particularly in three districts of Pithoragarh, Bageshwar and Champawat in the coming days, the people dependent on temporary wooden bridges and Kuccha roads to reach their villages, schools, colleges and market places are worried about connectivity in the hillys areas.

“We are worried that the in absence of a bridge on river Gori, the villages of Moti Bagar and Tanga area in Munsiyari sub-division will get disconnected if heavy rains occurin the area as over 1000 villagers of the area are dependent on a lone trolley to reach school, places and markets of Seraghat in that region,” said Brijesh Dharmasaktu, a villagers of Tanga village.

In Champawat district, over 950 villagers of 200 families of Badoli area of Champawat district are taking two wooden logs put on two stone across the rivulet to reach the market place after the bridge near Badoli village was washed away in the first spell of monsoon this year.

“We are facing the risk of slipping into river from logs as the Kuccha road and old bridge on rivulet was washed away,” said Rita Thuwal, gram Pradhan of the Badoli village.

Same problem is being faced by villagers of Belkhet of Champawat district, where the administration is installing a trolley on Ladhiya river to facilitate villagers during monsoon after the suspension bridge on the river washed away on July 8, in the first spell of monsoon rain this year.

“We have received a sum of Rs 18 lakh to install a trolley for this monsoon. The permanent bridge will be constructed on the river after rains,” said M.C. Palariya, executive engineer of PWD of Champawat district.

Girija Shankar Joshi, District Information Officer (DIO), Champawat, said that the villagers of Sela gahari, Talli Raw, Sheela Devi and Machiyal were disconnected from the main road as four wooden bridges connecting these villages to the main road were  washed away in July 17.” Eight roads including the road from Tanakpur to Jauljibi has been closed in the district due to landslides,” said the DIO.

In Munsiyari sub-division, several wooden and suspension bridges on local rivulets and river Gori were washed in the last decade, including the bridge linking village Ghururi with Manjit and village Mawani to Ghururi. ” The temporary bridge between Talla Mori to Malla Mori villages, that was washed away in July 2020, has still not been constructed and villagers are settling logs across the rivulet to cross the rivulet on great personal risk ,” said Puran Pandey, a journalist based in Munsiyari.

Manohar Tolia, President of Didihat Congress Committee in Pithoragarh district demanded construction of a concrete bridge on river Gori at Nachni to facilitate the school children of Bageshwar district reaching Government Inter College (GIC), Nachni for schooling.” The trolley installed in place of bridge, is heavy and become risky for children during rains,” said Tolia.