Flood 'sweeps away' under-construction Kali Gandaki bridge

NAWALPARASI: A flash flood reportedly swept away an under-construction truss bridge over the Kali Gandaki River bordering the Nawalparasi and Tanahun districts on Saturday.

Assistant Health Worker at the Dedhgaun Health Post Bir Bahadur BK said around 50-metre stretch of the 150-metre bridge from the Nawalparasi side was swept away.

According to him, higher hilly regions had witnessed heavy rain for last three days.

The Rasuwa Himdung Construction Company and Thokar Consultancy JV Pvt Ltd was constructing the bridge with the investment of Rs 110 million.

The government earlier had set a deadline of mid-February 2016 for completion of the project, which later was extended to mid-July.

But, the recent flood incurred the loss of around 40 million to the company, according to its Shreeman Lama.

The bridge would connect Dedhgaun of Nawalparasi and Bhagwatipur of Tanahun.

After the completion of the bridge construction, the road distance between Pokhara and the East-West Highway junctions in Nawalparasi district is expected to decrease significantly.

Pokhara is just 60 km away from Dedhgaun while Kawasoti along the East-West Highway is just 58 km.