Garhwal Post Bureau
Pithoragarh, 13 Jul: The monsoon season has once again brought severe trials for the people of Uttarakhand, with incessant rain triggering landslides and floods across the hills. In the border district of Pithoragarh, alarming scenes have emerged from Malla Johar on the Milam route near Munsiyari, where the Bilju Nala, which lacks a permanent bridge, has swelled dangerously. For over a week, continuous rainfall has left it in spate, making even pedestrian movement hazardous. The villagers have resorted to crossing on makeshift wooden ladders and logs, risking their lives. The absence of a bridge has not only troubled locals but also affected soldiers deployed along the China border.
A video circulating on social media shows children attempting to cross the nala on the precarious wooden structures. With vehicular movement completely halted, security personnel too are compelled to cross on foot under perilous conditions. Rising water levels have disrupted connectivity to high Himalayan villages such as Bilju, Milam, Burph and Martola, leaving residents returning from migration unable to reach their homes.
Every monsoon brings the same ordeal, yet a permanent bridge has not been constructed. The locals complain that children, elderly, women and the sick suffer the most and they have demanded urgent construction of a bridge to end the recurring crisis. Heavy rainfall has already blocked nearly a dozen roads in Pithoragarh district.
Continuous rain, landslides and cloudbursts have cut off villages from district headquarters, while electricity, drinking water and communication services are disrupted. The patients, pregnant women and the elderly are struggling to reach hospitals, while supply of food, medicines and essentials is also hampered. The farmers also have lost crops and fodder, adding to financial distress, schools remain closed and children’s education suffers. The rescue teams often fail to reach affected areas on time due to adverse weather and difficult terrain.
In Munsiyari and Dharchula, villagers continue to cross raging nalas on wooden logs, while soldiers too risk their lives daily in the absence of a permanent bridge. Rising water has already severed contact with several villages.
