Newly constructed Kulagar bridge again washed away
Newly constructed Kulagar bridge again washed away
B.D. Kasniyal
Pithoragarh, Sept 12
Dharchula police has cautioned the people living in villages along the Kali River to stay away from the river following the washing away of a recently reconstructed Bailey bridge at Kulagar after a landslide triggered by heavy rains last night.
Dharchula SDM Ashish Joshi said that the damage to the bridge had disrupted road connectivity to Gunji in the Vyas Valley and the Darma Valley.
“Due to the damage to the bridge at Kulagar, the road to Gunji in the Vyas Valley and the Darma Valley has been closed today,” the SDM said.
Joshi said he would discuss with Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officials the possibility of arranging an alternative route for transportation to the high Himalayan valleys until a new bridge is constructed.
The Bailey bridge at Kulagar, which had collapsed on August 18 after heavy boulders fell onto it following heavy rains in the region, was reconstructed by the BRO on September 5. The bridge has now been washed away again following the latest landslide and heavy rainfall.
Kesar Singh Dhami, a resident of village Ranthi said that since 1991, five bridges including one concrete bridge and four Bailley bridges had washed away due to floods.”There is urgent need to change the alignment of the bridge to make it safe from high floods from catchment area of Chipla Kedar mountains,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dharchula police have started a campaign in villages along the Kali River to alert residents about the possibility of a large accumulation of water at Kulagar and the potential danger of a sudden breach of the water body.
“We are informing people about the situation and cautioning them against going near the river so that they remain safe from any possible calamity,” said Pithoragarh SP Akshay Prahlad Kondey.
