Bridges washed away, locals in upper Himalayan areas face difficulties in crossing ravines

PITHORAGARH: On July 8, heavy rains in the upper Himalayan areas of Dharchula tehsil washed away the motor bridge at Kulagad on the Dharchula-Lipulekh road, cutting off 50 villages of Darma, Chaudas and Byas valleys from the rest of the district.
The bridge was the lifeline of villagers, and army personnel posted at the China border. Now, villagers are facing problems crossing the ravine at Kulagad to go to Dharchula, which is at a distance of 10km, said Salu Datal, a local resident.
After the bridge got washed away, the Border Roads Organisation put together a few logs across the nullah.However, the logs also got washed away in the rains and the BRO had to again put some across the ravine to help people cross the seasonal nullah. Although the logs are proving to be a helpful stopgap measure, nevertheless it's scary and dangerous to walk across it with a raging nullah flowing just a few feet under.
Climb Beyond the Summit (CBTS), a local NGO, is also helping villagers cross the log-bridge to commute to Dharchula. “Our organization asked the administration for permission to help the villagers cross the ravine at Kulagad as we are trained in mountaineering,” said Kala Baral, a member of the CSBT. The NGO workers have safety harnesses tied to them, and they accompany each person, holding his or her hand, crossing the log-bridge. Older people and children especially need more help while crossing.
“Our10-member team has helped more than a 1,000 people cross the ravine since July 12,” Baral added. The NGO workers have also pitched in with transporting ration, petrol and diesel for army and police forces across the nullah which is in spate.
Along with the Kulagad bridge, the rains and landslides also damaged roads in Darma and Chaudas valleys. In Darma valley, the roads are so badly damaged that it’s taking locals 24 hours to reach Dharchula instead of the usual five, informed Jaman Singh, gram pradhan, Dantu. “Villagers are wasting a lot of time and money in reaching Dharchula,” he added.
“It will take four to five days for the construction of a new bridge at Kulagad. Till then the BRO has put wooden logs at that place to cross,” said A K Shukla, sub-divisional magistrate, Dharchula. “A team of the State Disaster Response Force is posted there and volunteers of the CBTS are also helping people. Orders have been given to various departments to open the roads in the higher Himalayas,” he added.