Login

Forget Password?
Login With Facebook
Don't Have An Account? Sign Up

Sign Up

Already Have An Account? Login
Read Our Privacy Policy
Back to Login
  • National
  • Politics
  • Valley
  • Opinion
  • Money
  • Sports
  • Culture & Lifestyle

  • National
    • Madhesh Province
    • Lumbini Province
    • Bagmati Province
    • National Security
    • Koshi Province
    • Gandaki Province
    • Karnali Province
    • Sudurpaschim Province
  • Politics
  • Valley
    • Kathmandu
    • Lalitpur
    • Bhaktapur
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • As it is
    • Letters
    • Editorial
    • Cartoon
  • Money
  • Sports
    • Cricket
    • Football
    • International Sports
  • Culture & Lifestyle
    • Arts
    • Brunch with the Post
    • Movies
    • Life & Style
    • Theater
    • Entertainment
    • Books
    • Fashion
  • Health
  • Food
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Investigations
  • Climate & Environment
  • World
  • Science & Technology
  • Interviews
  • Visual Stories
  • Crosswords & Sudoku
  • Horoscope
  • Forex
  • Corrections
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Today's ePaper
Saturday, July 26, 2025

Without Fear or FavourUNWIND IN STYLE

23.88°C Kathmandu
Air Quality in Kathmandu: 53
300+Hazardous
0-50Good
51-100Moderate
101-150Unhealty for Sensitive Groups
151-200Unhealthy
201-300Very Unhealthy
Sat, Jul 26, 2025
23.88°C Kathmandu
Air Quality in Kathmandu: 53
  • What's News :

  • Ruling parties divided
  • Ex-President Bhandari
  • Confidence through sports
  • Book review
  • Actors and their roles
  • FDI 5% increase

Editorial

Build bridges

The government should invest in useful infrastructure rather than view towers. Build bridges
 Post File Photo
bookmark
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • Whatsapp
  • mail
Published at : August 15, 2021
Updated at : August 16, 2021 14:43

Earlier this month, the death of Jaya Singh Dhami in the remote Darchula district shook the nation. While investigations are underway to ascertain if a member of India’s Sashastra Seema Bal detached the metal cable from a tree just when Dhami was about to make it across the Mahakali River, the incident exposes how villagers in remote regions of Nepal continue to live in a state of statelessness. For the lack of a bridge, people are forced to cross rivers using tuins, unsafe boats, tubes, and wooden planks, and recurrent reports of lives lost while attempting to cross the river are worrisome.

Limi village in the remote Humla district is one such example. Every monsoon, the Karnali River swells up and cuts off the villagers’ access to the district headquarters of Simikot. Without a bridge, villagers swim or wade across the river by forming a human chain. An alternative route across a stream does not have a bridge, and repeated pleas for a bridge have remained unanswered, forcing people to risk their lives or wait until the water level recedes in December. For some 1,100 residents of Limi that covers Til, Jang and Halji villages, this is an annual event that disrupts their lives and puts them in a precarious situation. But the story is not limited to Limi; it reverberates across the country where access remains limited throughout seasons. It does not only impede socioeconomic development but also kills people.

Several studies and the government’s own experiences have shown that bridges play an essential role in improving people’s lives and boosting the rural economy. Schools see increased attendance. People seek professional medical advice at health posts and have access to hospitals and public services. Businesses mushroom, creating jobs and trading opportunities as bridges connect people and markets. With all the positive socio economic indicators, there is no doubt that building bridges is the most cost-effective rural infrastructure development to achieve cross-sector development goals.

Millions of Nepalis use bridges every day to make their way to schools, health posts, markets and district headquarters or the nearest bus stop that connects them to national highways. Because of bridges, the face of rural Nepal, especially in the hill and mountainous regions, has changed, opening up the rural population’s access to essential services and markets, which have contributed significantly to all the hard-won gains in socioeconomic and infrastructure development to date. And thanks to the Swiss Development Cooperation, the iconic trail bridges have heralded more changes in people’s lives than anything else and paved the way for all other development initiatives to follow. But five decades on, bridges remain imperative to save lives and connect the rural community to the world.

Most of Nepal’s development challenges have time-tested, easily replicable indigenous solutions, provided there is a political will to implement the fundamental principles of economic growth through strategic policies and budget allocation. Building bridges with homegrown experts is a cost-effective investment and policy framework for the government to ensure equal opportunities for citizens. Unlike view towers, welcome gates and other unnecessary concrete structures that are an eyesore and a total waste of taxpayers’ money, bridges serve both design and function while improving rural connectivity. To remote Nepal and its population, bridges are a boon for the people and a lifeline that the government must extend for inclusive development.


Read Other Opinions

Going wrong on rights
Old fox wins again
Year of broken promises
‘Tuin’ terror
Murky business
Hold the line

Most Read from Editorial

Inhumane tradition
Criminalising motherhood
Old fox wins again
Uncaring, unpopular
Maze of scandals

Editor's Picks

Kailash pilgrims breathe new life into Nepal’s mountain economy
Pressure groups are dictating lawmaking
Indians paying by QR in Nepal for a year but Nepalis still lack access in India
UML weighs binning age, term limits amid Oli-Bhandari rivalry
Law in the works to check officials’ conflict of interest

E-PAPER | July 26, 2025

  • Read ePaper Online
×
ABOUT US
  • About the Post
  • Masthead
  • Editorial Standards & Integrity
  • Workplace Harassment Policy
  • Privacy Policy
READ US
  • Home Delivery
  • ePaper
CONTACT US
  • Write for the Post
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Advertise in the Post
  • Work for the Post
  • Send us a tip
INTERACT WITH US
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
OUR SISTER PUBLICATIONS
  • eKantipur
  • saptahik
  • Nepal
  • Nari
  • Radio Kantipur
  • Kantipur TV
© 2025 www.kathmandupost.com
  • Privacy Policy
Top