Wooden logs: ‘Temporary bridges’ in tribal hamlets

Even though many villages lying in the proximity of the river are prone to floods, not many of them have proper bridges to connect the people to the main roads.

Many tribal hamlets located in the interior places are deprived of footbridges. Lack of proper bridges makes their lives miserable during the rainy season.

With no other alternative, the people in these tribal hamlets construct makeshift footbridges across the drains and rivulets. They have to risk their lives while crossing these bridges when the waterbody overflows during monsoon.

The residents in Tattekere hamlet near Balele in Nagarhole forest area are deprived of a proper footbridge to cross a flooded waterbody during the monsoon. As a result, the residents have come up with a temporary footbridge constructed of wooden logs to cross the waterbody.

Children are accompanied by elders while crossing the footbridge. But, there are instances where children have to cross the bridge on their own, inviting grave danger.

The residents of Kunda Basaveshwara Girijana Haadi in Ponnampet too face a similar problem. During the monsoon, the footbridge is inundated.

People have repaired the bridge temporarily using stones and mud. This is not safe during the floods, said Y M Timma of the tribal hamlet.

Another resident of the tribal hamlet, Gangamma, said that the bridge is at a low level and is submerged during the rainy season.

Even the adults find it difficult to cross the bridge and parents are afraid to send their wards to the schools. The bridge should have been at a height of a minimum of six feet, she added.