Uttarakhand Flash Floods: Border Roads Organisation works overtime to restore road link to China border

A team of engineers of the Border Road Organisation (BRO) are racing against time to build an iron bridge across the river Rishi Ganga to restore road connectivity leading to the India-China border, about 120 kms away.

“We aim to build an iron bridge within three to four days,” a BRO engineer told DH at Raini, Uttarakhand, even as earth excavators cleared the debris from last Sunday’s landslide triggered flash floods that washed away a hydroelectric project here and buried several persons.

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Nature’s fury on the morning of February 7 had also swept away one concrete bridge providing road connectivity to eight villages across the Rishi Ganga river and several establishments of the Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and the BRO leading to the India-China border.

Also washed away were four suspension bridges across the river Dhauliganga further downstream snapping links to several villages.

“Restoring road connectivity is a priority given the strategic importance of the road,” the BRO engineer said adding that suspension bridges too would be built soon.

The BRO had also shortlisted a couple of locations to build a concrete bridge, he said adding that iron bridge would enable movement of trucks and other vehicles in the region.

Rescue workers had set up a zipline to provide immediate relief and supply daily essentials to the stranded villagers, while helicopters were pressed into service for airdropping food packets and evacuating those in need of medical help.

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Besides the concrete bridge, four cable-stayed suspension bridges – a common feature in these mountain ranges – were also washed away.

Raini Chak Lata, Pang, Suki, Bhallagaon, Suraithota, Tolma, Long Segdi (Tamak) and Jumma –located across the river Rishiganga had lost road connectivity. Villages Jugju, Juwagwad, Bhanyal, Gahar and Aira across the river Dhauliganga too have no road connectivity.

Several installations of the army, ITBP and Border Roads Organisations too are located across the two rivers and currently have no road connectivity.