Absence of a bridge over Safa Khola causes hardship for locals
The absence of a bridge across the Safa Khola, which separates Brahmapuri Rural Municipality from Haripurwa Municipality, has caused problems for the people of Sarlahi. Hume pipes and culverts are built to link Dhankaul in Haripurwa-3 and Pipara in Brahmapuri-6, but during the monsoon season, floods wash them away. In October of last year, Brahmapuri Rural Municipality spent Rs. 650,000 on a culvert that was later destroyed by flooding and heavy rainfall. Still stuck in the middle of the river are the remnants of the culvert that washed away. The Safa Khola route is used by residents of Haripurwa Municipality to get to Malangwa, the district headquarters. In addition, residents of the rural municipalities of Brahmapuri and Chandranagar depend on this route to get to Haripurwa.
Lal Babu Mahato, a vegetable vendor at neighborhood markets, bemoaned the absence of a bridge. He claimed that even in the winter, he must wade through water to cross the river because the path becomes impassable during the monsoon. Mahato described a terrifying incident in which his motorcycle became stuck in the middle of a river last October. The Safa Khola route is the main way for people living in the district’s southeast to get to Malangwa. According to Pipara local Ram Kailash Ray, the road is frequently closed for weeks during the monsoon season. The chairperson of the Pipara ward in Brahmapuri-6, Hirendra Kumar Yadav, stated that they are looking to the federal and provincial governments for assistance in building a permanent bridge.
