With no bridge built for their commuting, scores of residents of ten villages under Gariaband Development Block in the district have to cross the ‘Bakdi nullah’ in the region with the help of inflated tyre tubes.
The nullah swells dangerously during the monsoon season while posing a threat to the lives of villagers who have no option but to cross it to reach the Gariaband district headquarters.
The villagers use inflated tyre tubes as raft and paddle with their hands to move across the nullah. Even those who are good at swimming struggle to cross the swollen nullah which opens into Pairi river.
The villagers including students brave the raging currents of the nullah during the monsoon season to reach their schools and other destinations in Gariaband and Dhawalpur.
The residents of some of the villages informed that they have been petitioning the local administration to construct a bridge across the river but their pleas are yet to be heard.
About 2,000 villagers including students have to go to the Gariaband district headquarters or Dhawalpur for various works every day. In case of illness, the villagers often use local herbs or other alternative methods of treatment as they cannot cross the river in poor health and especially during the monsoon season.
Jamuna Netam, a Class IX student of Bodapala village had drowned in the nullah while crossing it in August 2012. She was going to attend her school in Dhawalpur which lies across the nullah.
The girl got carried away by the strong current of water and her body was recovered two kilometers away from the spot. One more villager had lost his life while crossing the nullah previously.