Rusted pontoon bridge left unused for 13 years shifted from Bardiya to be installed at flood-hit Phurkekhola, Dhading

The bridge reached Phurkekhola in Gajuri Rural Municipality-2 on Friday. It will be installed near the Jaladevi temple, linking Gajuri-2 with Siddhalek Rural Municipality-6. Floods on August 26 swept away the motorable bridge, leaving communities struggling to reach the district headquarters and the Prithvi Highway.

Jagadish Prasad Joshi, chief administrative officer of Gajuri Rural Municipality, said the loss of the bridge had severed direct links between the district headquarters and all 13 local units in Dhading. The local people have since faced longer journeys and higher costs. The destruction of the Phurkekhola bridge had cut the direct road link between Dhadingbesi and the Prithvi Highway.

Floods also damaged other roads and bridges along the Trishuli corridor, disrupting essential services and trade. Representatives from all 13 local units in Dhading visited the Rajapur Irrigation Management Project’s site camp at Kothiyaghat to inspect the equipment. They asked the project to assess whether it could be installed at Phurkekhola.