Mawa bridge in Jhapa now turns useless

By Our Correspondent

Urlabari, Aug. 5: The eastern section of the Mawa Bridge built to connect the Setumari area of Damak-10 in Jhapa with the Urlabari-Amabari-Sinjhuwa agricultural road in Morang has started crumbling.  

After soil started falling regularly from the either side of the eastern edge of the bridge, only motorcycles and three-wheeled vehicles (auto-rickshaws) are using the bridge with difficulty. 

The foundation of the bridge was laid in April 2015 to shorten the travel distance between Biratnagar and Damak. Although the bridge is 75.45 metres long and was eventually completed, it remained unused for four years because the 500-metre approach road on the Morang side was not built. For locals, the bridge had become like the gold in Lhasa--valuable but useless.

Only five years after the construction of the bridge, the approach road on the Morang side was built. However, each year the Mawa River has been washing away the road, causing difficulties for residents of Urlabari-9. Although an embankment has now been constructed on the Morang side, the river is gradually shifting eastward, further damaging the Jhapa side of the bridge.

Tanka Thaklung, a local of Urlabari-9, said, “We suffered for many years. This year, damage has started on the Jhapa side. There has not even been a flood yet in the river, but the bridge is already in such poor condition that only small vehicles can cross it. Once the river floods, it will be closed down.” He warned that if the bridge is not repaired soon, it could become a death trap.

Narbahadur Moktan, Ward Chairperson of Urlabari-9, said that the Damak Municipality is responsible for repairs on the Jhapa side, and he has already informed Mayor Ram Bahadur Thapa about the situation. 

Rajendra Prasad Bhandari, Ward Chairperson of Damak-10, inspected the site and said emergency repair work would be carried out immediately, with further work planned for winter.

The bridge, built by BT Construction Services at a cost of Rs. 44 million, was initially proposed to be 200 metres long. However, only 75.45 metres was constructed. As a result, locals said that they have continuously faced issues -- sometimes from the east, sometimes from the west -- as the river keeps shifting its course.

While travelling from Damak to Biratnagar via the East-West Highway through Itahari one has to cover 65 kilometres. But using this bridge via Sinjhuwa and the Hulaki Road, the distance is only 42 kilometres.