On June 23, a bailey bridge over Myardi river that connected Manang to Lamjung, was swept away by floods, disconnecting Manang from other districts in the province.

Ten days after the incident, a team headed by the Chief Minister of Province 4 Prithvi Subba Gurung visited the site for observation. Provincial Minister of Physical Infrastructure Ram Sharan Basnet said a new bailey bridge would be constructed over the river within 20 days.

Tuesday marked the deadline of the minister’s word. But the site is as it is; the bridge’s set up process has not even started.

“The absence of bridge has taken a toll on our daily lives,” said Jhalak Bahadur Gurung, ward chair of Naso Rural Municipality. “We have no contact with other districts, especially Lamjung.”

According to officials at the zonal Road Division Office in Damauli, the bailey bridge will be set up by Galba—The Caravan JV, the same company that set up the destroyed bridge about a year ago.

Sachin Shrestha, engineer at the Road Division Office, said that the bailey bridge has already been constructed in Hetauda and will be transported to the Myardi river this week to be set up.

According to Shrestha, it will take about 20 days to set the bridge up, and 10 more for other technical work.

“If all goes well, the bridge will be motorable by September 1,” Shrestha said.

Kamal Prasad Acharya, deputy chief district officer, said that the destruction of the bridge has posed challenges for locals in terms of commuting and conducting business in the district.

“The floods haven’t caused much damage in Manang, except for the flash flood in Myardi khola which swept away the bridge,” Acharya said. “We are bound to face more challenges because it has disrupted our movement and delivery of goods and services.”

Pradeep Neupane, an officer at Gharelu tatha Sana Udhyog Bikas Samiti, Manang, said that this has caused trouble in importing construction materials for development projects and in running small-scale industries in the district. “The lack of bridge is starting to severely affect the district’s economy, slowing down development and progress,” Neupane said.

The delay in setting up the bridge is largely attributed to the contractor’s sluggish work. Chandra Ghale, chair of Naso Municipality, said, “The contract was handed over to the same contractor who set up the bridge previously. He has proved to be incompetent.”

The same contractor is also tasked with four other bridge projects in the district. Singha Bahadur Gurung, a resident of Taalgaun in Naso Rural Municipality, said, “The track record of the contractor is poor. On July 11, the bridge connecting Ngawal and Humde villages collapsed while it was under construction.”

However, Bishnu Prasad Kaphle, division engineer at Road Division Office, said despite inhibitions of using the same contractor, the office is moving ahead with the setting up of the bridge. “We cannot afford any more delays so we'll go ahead with the construction. We were preparing to raise the height of the bridge by one metre than what is specified in the design,” Kaphle said. “But we decided not to because, according to technicians, if the flood is as destructive as the one in June, the bridge will be destroyed no matter how high we install it.”

Ishwor Chandra Marhatta, secretary at the Provincial Ministry of Physical Infrastructure, said that the construction would be costly if the bridge is raised by one metre and wouldn’t necessarily ensure that it will be safe from floods.

Tuin brought back to operation

The absence of a bridge over the Myardi river means Manang locals have switched to using risky tuins to cross the river and to import or export goods. “If we wait for the bridge to be constructed, we will face food and essential crises,” said Singh.

“The tuins are said to be operated by the youth of Marshyangdi Rural Municipality, but we are not aware of it. It was operated without any coordination or discussion with the local units,” Ghale said.

Stating that operating a tuin over the river is not feasible, he said, “Crossing one jeep-full of goods across the river via tuin costs Rs 2,000. It might be a temporary solution, but it’s too expensive. This will have an indirect impact on the cost of goods and services in the district,” Ghale added.

The destroyed one-lane bailey bridge, measuring 25 m long and 7 m width, was constructed with a total budget of Rs 20,517,869 (excluding VAT), in August, 2018.

The Myardi Khola bridge lies 35 km east of Besishahar and 30 km south of Chame, Manang’s district headquarters. 

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