HUMLA:- Residents of Rip village in Sarkegad Rural Municipality-2 in Humla’s mid-hill region are still compelled to cross the Karnali River using a traditional cable crossing system, locally known as a tuin, because of the absence of a suspension bridge.

Despite federal and provincial government commitments to replace such risky crossings, locals continue to rely on the manually operated tuin to cross the river, according to local resident Daljit Karki.

Karki said villagers had repeatedly appealed to the rural municipality, provincial government and other concerned authorities to construct a suspension bridge, but no progress has been made so far. As a result, locals have been relying on the tuin for the past year.

The wooden bridge built by locals at the site was swept away by floods last August. Following the destruction, residents collectively constructed the tuin for daily use.

Rip village, which constitutes an entire ward, is home to around 350 households, all of whom depend on the crossing. However, elderly people and children are unable to use the tuin safely.

Karki added that although the Karnali Province government had announced plans a year ago to eliminate tuin crossings and collected proposals for suspension bridge construction, there has been no further progress.

Former minister and Karnali Province Assembly member Rana Singh Pariyar said locals had also demanded the construction of a Bailey bridge at the crossing point, but the provincial Ministry of Physical Infrastructure ultimately failed to allocate a budget for the project.

He said the government’s commitment to replacing tuin crossings had not been matched by action. According to Pariyar, construction of a bailey bridge would not only end the dangerous river crossing for residents of Rip and Unapani villages, but also complete the road network connection between the two settlements.

Although roads have already been built in both villages, vehicles are still unable to operate due to the lack of a bridge over the Karnali River.