Villagers risk life to cross river

ADILABAD: The villagers of remote Jagannathpur, Kothmeer, Inam and Ityala villages of Dahegaon mandal are risking their lives crossing the river Peddavagu in small rafts made of thermocol sheets to reach Kagaznagar in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.

They do this in the shadow of a bridge that has broken in the middle. Sources said the damage to the bridge was caused by rampant illegal sand mining in the river, and especially near the pillars. The bridge connects Dahegaon and Bheemini mandals to Kagaznagar.

The flow of water can increase suddenly in Peddavagu with heavy rains upstream or water discharged downstream from the Komaram Bheem and Vattivagu projects.

Local fishermen bring the rafts to transport people across the Peddavagu. There are dangers of the raft capsizing due to overloading. The river runs deep at certain  spots, and made deeper still by sand mining.

Villagers who are desperate to reach towns in an emergency for medical treatment or government work take the risk of crossing the river. This includes pregnant women and people catching seasonal diseases. Some people, along with luggage and goods also cross the river. Officials have failed to regulate this risky movement of people. Entry to the bridge was barricaded on both sides on September 12.

It is said that people of many villages in Bheemini mandal are taking another route and reaching Bellampalli town instead of coming to Kagaznagar for their work instead of taking the Andevelli route where the bridge was sunk.