Absence of bridge puts students’ lives at risk

Seven students have lost their lives crossing the river in the past three years, say locals.


All of their lives, the children of Kalimati Gaupalika-7's Swamibas, Kusumtara, Batule, Haukhola, and Ryang have crossed the Babai River to get to school. Since there isn't another secondary school in the vicinity, pupils from all of these villages attend Nepal Rastriya Secondary School in Ghuiyabari.
Somlal Basnet, a ninth-grader, claims that even during the dry season, the Babai River has a high water level. The pupils can't afford to miss school, so they wade through the shallow section of the river to get to school even though the river gets riskier during the wet season.
Seven of his school's kids have died in the last three years while attempting to cross the river, according to Basnet.
"My pals and I cross the river in terror during the wet season. We cannot afford to miss three months of school during the wet season, therefore we are forced to cross the river," Basnet remarked.
Hattidunga and Ryang villages are connected by an ancient suspension bridge, yet it takes two hours for pupils from the five villages to get to their school through Hattidunga.
The passage of the river presents a number of challenges for the students. Our clothing and books get wet as the water reaches our waists. A grade 10 student named Ratna Gharti remarked, "There are spots in the river where the current is so strong that we occasionally lose our balance. "In order to prevent getting carried away by the current, we always cross the river in groups."
Ryang resident Khadanand Bohara, whose nephew and niece attend Nepal Rastriya Secondary School, claims that parents worry about their kids because it's a risky commute to school.
Because it's their only chance to provide their kids with an education, the majority of them grudgingly send their offspring to school, according to Bohara. "It pains me to see kids put their lives in danger to cross the river for education." Everybody waits for them to arrive home each evening.
200 of the school's 410 students are from the five villages, according to Laxmi Dangi, principal of Nepal Rastra Secondary School.
"Every day, they put their lives in danger to attend school. Because there aren't enough bridges, some kids in the villages aren't getting an education, according to Dangi. "Children wouldn't have to risk their lives every day to cross the Babai River if a bridge was built over it."
The people who live there claim that the authorities have ignored their repeated pleas for a bridge across the Babai River.
"The absence of bridges is causing pain for many people than only students. Because it is not feasible to cross the river while carrying a patient, we are stranded in the village during medical emergencies, according to Hattidunga resident Ratna Bahadur Rana."Every day, they put their lives in danger to attend school. Because there aren't enough bridges, some kids in the villages aren't getting an education, according to Dangi. "Children wouldn't have to risk their lives every day to cross the Babai River if a bridge was built over it."
The people who live there claim that the authorities have ignored their repeated pleas for a bridge across the Babai River.
"The absence of bridges is causing pain for many people than only students. Because it is not feasible to cross the river while carrying a patient, we are stranded in the village during medical emergencies, according to Hattidunga resident Ratna Bahadur Rana.
Nayan Singh Rana, the ward chairman of Kalimati Rural Municipality, stated, "The rural municipality has been requesting the state and federal governments for the construction of a bridge over the Babai River but we haven't heard from them yet."Nayan Singh Rana, the ward chairman of Kalimati Rural Municipality, stated, "The rural municipality has been requesting the state and federal governments for the construction of a bridge over the Babai River but we haven't heard from them yet."

‘Tuins’ of death

In Nepal, it is still common for people to have to cross a raging river using a tian, which is essentially a metal rope strung high between the banks. In the Dumling area of Darchula district, a 45-year-old man lost his life a few days ago after plunging into the Mahakali river while attempting to cross it with a makeshift tuin. Given the number of such tragedies the neighborhood has experienced, the situation is all too typical.
The same thing happened to a 10-year-old child during the first week of January. Even now, the catastrophe that claimed Jaya Singh Dhami's life in 2021 still breaks our hearts. In 26 years, tuins above the Mahakali River have claimed the lives of a total of 28 individuals. Many tuins in other rivers have also claimed lives. However, as per a report in Kantipur last year, “the government does not even have an integrated record on tuin-related death”.
In many areas of Nepal, suspension bridges are not available, hence people are forced to use tunis on a regular basis. One explanation might be budgetary constraints and completion delays while building bridges. An other factor can be the overwhelming need to visit the Indian marketplaces in Darchula to get daily essentials. Even when they attend school, pupils in many other parts of the nation are dependent on tutors.
To stop tunnel accidents, the government has taken some action. KP Sharma Oli had promised to stop using these crossings as soon as he become prime minister. To remove tuins, the government published the "Public Tuin Removal Procedure" in 2016. In order to "prevent, control, and discourage the use of tuin as well as rescue and help the victims of tuin accident and their family," the Council of Ministers introduced "Rules on Fund Operation Relating to Rescue and Assistance of Persons Affected by Tuin Accidents" in 2018. This move was applauded by the government.
Similar to this, all local units received a letter from the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration in 2018 telling them to halt building new tuins and replace the old ones. 105 of the 131 potential tuins were eliminated after the Nepalese government decided in 2015 to replace the tuins constructed in various regions of the country with suspension bridges. In addition, the government presented an action plan to replace the tuins in Mahakali with 11 suspension bridges. According to the Kantikur report, of them, two have been finished and two are being built, while seven are still confined to paper only.
The disturbing reality is that tuins are still causing deaths in Nepal. Unfortunately, by giving priority to impacted areas, their use has not been suppressed. In locations that are severely lacking in safe crossings, for example, bridges are constructed where they are not needed. There must be quick action taken in this case. Construction of roads and bridges, which belong to local and provincial governments, is still under the purview of the federal government.
Targeting underprivileged regions and avoiding tuin displacement would be made easier if local and regional governments were given the necessary financial and personnel resources to carry out their duties. One cannot stress how important it is to get rid of this outdated and hazardous infrastructure even while the nation pushes the boundaries of contemporary knowledge. The disturbing reality is that tuins are still causing deaths in Nepal. Unfortunately, by giving priority to impacted areas, their use has not been suppressed. In locations that are severely lacking in safe crossings, for example, bridges are constructed where they are not needed. There must be quick action taken in this case. Construction of roads and bridges, which belong to local and provincial governments, is still under the purview of the federal government.
Targeting underprivileged regions and avoiding tuin displacement would be made easier if local and regional governments were given the necessary financial and personnel resources to carry out their duties. One cannot stress how important it is to get rid of this outdated and hazardous infrastructure even while the nation pushes the boundaries of contemporary knowledge. These all are preventable deaths; we just need better policy interventions.

REFERENCE

https://kathmandupost.com/editorial/2023/04/26/tuins-of-death