Residents of 3 AP Villages Risk Lives to Cross Stream on Makeshift Log Bridge
Each monsoon, the stream swells into a torrent, turning daily life into a dangerous gamble. Children are unable to reach school, elders go without medical care, and even minor emergencies become perilous journeys.
Visakhapatnam: For nearly a decade, around 500 tribal families of Ardhapuram, Tummalapalem and Munagala Palem, on the border of Anakapalle and Alluri Sitarama Raju districts, have lived cut off from the outside world. A stream separates their villages from the nearest road, forcing residents to risk their lives every day to cross it.
Each monsoon, the stream swells into a torrent, turning daily life into a dangerous gamble. Children are unable to reach school, elders go without medical care, and even minor emergencies become perilous journeys.
Despite repeated appeals for a small bridge, the villagers say their pleas have gone unanswered. “No government engineer has ever visited our area, and no foundation stone has been laid,” one resident lamented.
In the absence of official help, the villagers have taken matters into their own hands, constructing a narrow, makeshift bridge using tree trunks and branches. It is unsafe but indispensable. For them, it is the only connection to hospitals, markets, and basic services that others take for granted.
The fragile bridge has become a stark symbol of government neglect. The villagers continue to demand a permanent, all-weather structure one that can withstand floods and allow ambulances and vehicles to reach their hamlets safely.
