Journey to school fraught with danger for Parbati Valley kids

Children of Baladhi village in the Parbati Valley are unable to attend school as crossing a temporary footbridge is fraught with danger due to the rising levels of the Parbati river. Villagers report that about 40 students have to miss classes at Jari due to alleged administrative apathy. A few days ago, the villagers ferried 28 students early from school as the water level in the river started rising. A cloudburst on July 31 night last year had led to the collapse of the Malana Hydel Project-I barrage, which not only swept away the footbridge leading to Baladhi, but also destroyed nearby homes, temples, and farmlands. Though the villagers constructed a temporary footbridge, the rise in the level of the river has now rendered the structure unsafe. Residents emphasise that a simultaneous rise in water level—from Malana Nullah on one side and the Parbati River on the other—has made the children’s daily journey to school risky. They said the approach to the temporary footbridge required crossing the river itself and the structure could be washed away any moment. Moreover, the villagers allege that the authorities at the Malana Hydel Project have repair the barrage using mud, a temporary fix that could fail at any time and result in a disaster similar to the one that occurred last year. A delegation of the villagers submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner yesterday, seeking immediate construction of a permanent footbridge. They also demanded a comprehensive safety audit of the Malana project dam to prevent disasters in future. The villagers recommended installation of warning systems such as hooters to alert them whenever water is released from dams. Neetu Kumar, treasurer of the Baladhi Flood Affected Association, expressed frustration over the government’s failure to resolve the ongoing crisis even more than 10 months after the disaster. He recalled that villagers had held an indefinite sit-in in September for nearly a month to demand compensation for losses incurred when a sudden the release of water from Malana Hydel Project-II that led to the bursting of the Malana Hydel Project-I dam downstream. Yet, according to Kumar, the companies have so far ignored these demands. Zila Parishad member Rekha Guleria said despite raising the issue at a Zila Parishad meeting, neither compensation had been provided to the affected villagers nor had any work initiated to restore damaged properties, including the footbridge. Further, the road connecting Jari to Malana remains in disrepair.

Himachal Tribune