Radhika Budhathoki
Sindhuli, Oct 1: The nonstop rainfall occurred for three days- last Thursday to Saturday- flooded the Sunkoshi River, thereby damaging a total of 10 bridges which had connected Sindhuli to Ramechhap and Okhaldhunga districts.
Two motorable and eight suspension bridges were damaged by the flooded Sunkoshi River that fully disrupted transportation to the hilly districts.
The motorable bridge linking Khairenighat of Sunkoshi rural municipality-1 of Sindhuli to Khandadevi rural municipality-1 of Ramechhap was destroyed by the raging river, said Ram Kumar Shrestha, chairman of Sunkoshi-1.
As the river swept away the bridge, the people using the mid-hill highway have been badly affected. Among them, those at the receiving end are from Khandadevi rural municipality, Sunaptai rural municipality and Doramba rural municipality.
Vice Chair of Khandadevi rural municipality, Rama Ghising, informed that the suspension bridge connecting Sunkoshi-5 to Khandadevi-3 was pulled down by the river flood.
Other suspension bridges collapsed by the flooded river were at Belghari and Puchhghat.
“With the destruction of the motorable bridge and another suspension bridge connecting Ramechhap to Sindhuli, the education of 35 school students has been hampered.
They are deprived of education with the absence of transportation facility,” Ghising shared the plight.
Moreover, a motorable bridge and another suspension bridge connecting Khurkot of Sindhuli to Manthali rural municipality of Ramechhap district were damaged by the swollen Koshi River that has direct impact on the people from Ramechhap, Dolakha, Okhaldhunga and Solukhumbu districts.
Vice Chairman of Golanjor rural municipality, Jwala Prasad Neupane, informed that it was a huge loss for the people from different hilly districts including Okhaldhunga.
Hotel entrepreneur at Khorkot, Manoj Kumar Shretha, said the supply of fresh vegetable and fruits from Ramechhap district stopped with the deprivation of transportation.
Hotels are closed down with road disruption. Moreover, the suspension bridges linking Phikkal rural municipality-4, 2, and 5 of Sindhuli to Okhaldhunga district have been destroyed, thereby creating sheer inconvenience.
Transportation and supply of daily essential goods came to a standstill. A people’s representative from Phikkal rural municipality Raj Baral shared it.
The transportation of goods from Sindhuli to Ramechhap and Okhaldhunga is disrupted in the wake of approaching festival, he added.
Krishna Maya Tolange from Goiri of Sunkoshi rural municipality-1 demanded all three tiers of government intensified reconstruction of roads and bridges damaged by the natural disasters.
“The three-day downpour has caused tremendous loss of lives and damages of property,” she said, underlining the need of accelerated works for relief distribution, repair and reconstruction. #disaster #monsoon #RSS
