Rapti River erosion threatens 37-crore bridge in Shravasti, isolates villages

A bridge built at a cost of 37 crore rupees and its approach road are now under threat from severe erosion caused by the Rapti River in Shravasti, putting hundreds of villages on the brink of losing connectivity with the district headquarters.

The erosion crisis has forced residents to travel 80 kilometres to cover a distance of just 25 kilometres, highlighting the gravity of the infrastructure threat in the region.

The bridge construction corporation and district administration woke up from their deep slumber only after the issue made headlines in national media. The Rapti's erosion, which has now reached the railway tracks after initially affecting the soil, has prompted war-footing efforts to arrest the damage by dumping bricks.

However, the failure of any senior officer to conduct an on-site inspection is proving to be a case of gross negligence.

Questions are being raised about why officials remained asleep when the river was calm and why last-minute attempts are being made to shore up defences with sandbags and bricks only when the crisis has escalated. The reactive approach has drawn sharp criticism as the critical infrastructure connecting hundreds of villages faces an existential threat from the advancing river erosion.