Stranded & forgotten: Maror children brave river on log bridge

In the remote Maror village of the Sainj valley, children risk their lives daily just to reach school—crossing a narrow, slippery log laid over the raging Maror nullah. The original footbridge was washed away during recent flashfloods triggered by heavy monsoon rains, severing Maror’s connection to nearby villages and exposing the fragility of rural infrastructure.

This makeshift bridge, fashioned out of a single tree trunk, is now the only passage across the torrent. Students with heavy school bags inch across the log in fear, as their families watch helplessly. “Our children’s lives are literally hanging by a thread,” said one anxious parent. “We’ve appealed to the government again and again, but nothing has been done.”

Village elders, teachers and parents have made repeated pleas for a safe and permanent bridge, but no concrete steps have followed. The delay has left the villagers feeling abandoned, particularly vulnerable during natural disasters. One misstep on the unstable log could mean tragedy and the community’s frustration is growing louder by the day.

In stark contrast, Malana village in the Parbati valley has once again shown remarkable self-reliance. When floods swept away their footbridge connecting to Pohal village, locals wasted no time waiting for outside help. They sourced timber from surrounding forests and rebuilt a temporary bridge with their own hands.

This is not new for Malana. Just last year, following a cloudburst and the bursting of the Malana Hydel Project-I barrage, villagers had constructed a makeshift bridge within five days, restoring connectivity with speed and determination.

These contrasting stories paint a clear picture of the gaps in government response across Himachal’s disaster-prone regions. While Malana thrives on unity and grassroots effort, Maror waits helplessly for the administration to step in before disaster strikes again. Without urgent intervention, the daily journey of Maror’s children remains a perilous gamble — with a future hanging in the balance.

Himachal Tribune