Heavy Rainfall Causes Severe Damage to Bridges in Sindhuli, Disrupting Transportation

Continuous rainfall over three days, from last Thursday to Saturday, led to significant flooding of the Sunkoshi River, resulting in extensive damage to 10 bridges that connected Sindhuli to the Ramechhap and Okhaldhunga districts.

Among the damaged infrastructure, two motorable bridges and eight suspension bridges were rendered unusable, severely disrupting transportation to these hilly regions. Ram Kumar Shrestha, chairman of Sunkoshi-1, reported that the motorable bridge linking Khairenighat of Sunkoshi Rural Municipality-1 to Khandadevi Rural Municipality-1 of Ramechhap was swept away by the raging waters.

The destruction of these vital bridges has had a profound impact on residents, particularly those in Khandadevi, Sunaptai, and Doramba rural municipalities. Vice Chair of Khandadevi Rural Municipality, Rama Ghising, noted that a suspension bridge connecting Sunkoshi-5 to Khandadevi-3 was also pulled down by the floodwaters.

The effects of the bridge collapses extend to the education sector, as Ghising highlighted that 35 school students are now deprived of their education due to the lack of transportation options. “With the destruction of the motorable bridge and another suspension bridge connecting Ramechhap to Sindhuli, these students are left without a means to attend school,” she stated.

Additionally, a motorable bridge and another suspension bridge connecting Khurkot of Sindhuli to Manthali Rural Municipality of Ramechhap were damaged, impacting the flow of goods and services not only to Ramechhap but also to Dolakha, Okhaldhunga, and Solukhumbu districts.

Jwala Prasad Neupane, Vice Chairman of Golanjor Rural Municipality, described the damage as a significant loss for the affected communities. Local hotel entrepreneur Manoj Kumar Shrestha expressed concerns over halted supply chains, stating, “The supply of fresh vegetables and fruits from Ramechhap district has stopped due to the disruption in transportation, leading to hotel closures.”

The destruction of suspension bridges linking Phikkal Rural Municipality to Okhaldhunga has further compounded the crisis, creating substantial inconvenience as transportation and supply of essential goods have come to a standstill. People’s representative Raj Baral from Phikkal Rural Municipality emphasized the urgency of the situation, especially with the festival season approaching.

Local resident Krishna Maya Tolange from Goiri in Sunkoshi Rural Municipality-1 called on all three tiers of government to expedite the reconstruction of the damaged roads and bridges. “The three-day downpour has caused tremendous loss of lives and damage to property,” she remarked, stressing the need for accelerated relief distribution and reconstruction efforts.