Nation»
Rukum wire bridges lead to hell, not home
DANG, JUN 13 -
Rescuers looking for the body of a man, who fell into Thulo Bheri River in a ropeway accident on Thursday, have very little hope that they will find the 55-year-old victim, Pare Thapa.
A resident of Gotamkot-4, Rukum, Thapa fell into gushing currents of Bheri when a flimsy wire bridge made of twine that he and his fellow villagers trusted for years to go to Ragda Bazaar of Jajarkot snapped. Thapa is one among many to fatally fall off a twine bridge, common accidents in his village and many others.
Locals say at least 12 people die every year while crossing Sano Bheri and Thulo Bheri rivers. The wire and wood beam bridges here are built by villagers themselves with the resources they had. While building the bridge safety is of minimal concern. Cords made of twine ropes are never tested for strength. It just serve its basic purpose: Getting people across.
Raju Acharya, engineer at the District Development Office, said bridges must be installed in at least 170 places to avert ropeway accidents.
“Most of these places that either use wire or beam bridges are in bad condition, hence accidents,” he said.
During the decade-long Maoist insurgency period, development work did not take place in Rukum. After the conflict ended, the government did not provide necessary funds to the district to build the much-needed bridges.
Just a month earlier, 12-year-old Sabina Khadka of Khalanga-9 fell into Sano Bheri river while crossing the river over a beam bridge.
Her body has not been recovered yet. The girl’s father, Kashiram, said all efforts to search for his daughter went in vain.
“Like my daughter, many people have fallen into these rivers and disappeared. Why does the government not see our plight and build bridges?” he asked.
Posted on: 2010-06-14 07:50
Headlines
Advertisements
