Swan River washes away temporary bridge in Ropar, 100 villages disconnected

After heavy rains in Himachal, the Swan River was in spate in Ropar district today. The river washed away the temporary bridge — built inside the riverbed at Algran village. As a result, about 100 villages in the area have been cut off from the main Anandpur Sahib-Garhshankar road. Villagers will have to take a 50 km detour through Nangal to travel between Anandpur Sahib and Ropar, before the temporary bridge is reconstructed.

As the river swelled, many people from the adjoining villages gathered near the washed‑away bridge. Kuldeep, a local farmer who was present on the riverbank, said that every monsoon the river washes it away, cutting people off from the main Anandpur Sahib-Garhshankar road. The students who attend college in Anandpur Sahib have to face the ordeal of travelling an extra 50 km to reach their colleges. “The pucca bridge over the Swan River has been lying damaged for more than two years now,” he added.

The villagers said that, to date, the river has not breached its banks in this area. However, during the monsoon season, people living along the riverbank always fear that it might overflow and flood their houses and fields.

The bridge was damaged and closed to traffic in July 2023. Its foundation pillars — once the lifeline for about 100 villages — now lie fully exposed in the riverbed. Locals blame illegal mining along the river for the bridge’s structural failure. They have been protesting against illicit mining activities and demanding its immediate repair.

Sources say that illegal mining was rampant in the Swan and Sutlej riverbeds within the Anandpur Sahib Assembly constituency. As a result, the pillars of the bridge over the Sutlej were also damaged. The drainage department is now constructing embankments to protect the bridge from monsoon-related damage.

The PWD has floated a tender of Rs 17 crore tender for the repair of the bridge over the Swan River. According to sources, work on the bridge will begin after the monsoon season.

Once known as the “Sorrow of Una” due to its destructive floods in Himachal Pradesh, the river has now become a problem in Punjab. While the Himachal government has channelled the river stretch in its area, the approximately 40 km stretch — before it merges with the Sutlej near Anandpur Sahib — remains unchannelled in Punjab. This causes flash floods in the river during monsoons, damaging crops across Nangal and Anandpur Sahib subdivisions of Ropar district.

Punjab