No Bridge, No School: Mechinagar Children Deprived of Education Each Monsoon

Students in Mechi nagar, a remote settlement on the eastern Nepal–India border, face a recurring educational crisis every year due to the lack of a bridge over the Mechi River.

Located in Mechinagar-15, the area is home to around 35 families, mainly from indigenous communities including Satar, Rajbanshi, Yadav, Munda, and Gwal. The only school, Mechi Primary School, offers classes up to grade 2, but it remains shut throughout the monsoon.

This year too, the school, which was supposed to reopen on August 10, has stayed closed for weeks. Teachers residing across the river cannot reach the school because the Mechi River swells during the rainy season, making it impossible to cross.

Teachers and Students Cut Off

According to principal Lokendra Thapaliya, the school is located on the far side of the river, while two teachers and an assistant live on the opposite bank. “Other schools are running as usual, but this school has remained closed since August 10 because we cannot cross the river until the water recedes,” said Thapaliya.

Even when attempts are made, the only alternative route is via Indian roads, crossing the Mechi Bridge at Kakarbhitta or Bhadrapur, which takes nearly an entire day. As a result, children’s education is severely disrupted year after year.

Currently, 11 students are enrolled in classes up to grade 2. For higher studies, students must travel to schools across the river in India, but during the monsoon, floods make the journey impossible. “Two students usually manage to cross for schooling, but during heavy rains, they cannot attend,” added Thapaliya.

Community Struggles for Development

Mechi nagar residents depend mainly on agriculture and livestock. The area, once part of Jamirgadhi VDC, now falls under Mechinagar-15, but remains deprived of basic infrastructure such as electricity and drinking water.

Local resident Amal Yadav said, “Even when electricity poles are installed, the floodwaters wash them away. Politicians promise a bridge during elections, but no action follows. We have been neglected for decades.”

Despite repeated pledges from successive governments to construct a suspension bridge, the project has never materialized, leaving the community isolated and struggling.

A Similar Plight in Dharan

The bridge crisis is not limited to Mechi nagar. In Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City-5, Leduwa Khola Bridge remains incomplete even after five years of construction delays. The bridge, which was supposed to be completed by July 23, 2021, has seen only 64% progress.

With 15,800 residents in the area, locals face hardships in health, education, and agriculture during the monsoon. Children from Manthar, Sumantar, Muktilal, Nishan Danda, and Tallo Nishan Danda risk crossing the swollen river to attend school in Dharan.

“The government extended the contractor’s deadline three times, but no progress was made. Now, the project is stalled due to a court stay order,” said Province Physical Infrastructure Development Minister Bhupendra Rai.

The contractor, World Trade Construction Company, has already received over NPR 8.9 million but has failed to complete the remaining slab installation. Locals are now demanding that the contractor be blacklisted and the project reassigned.

Call for Immediate Action

Residents urge the provincial government to build either a permanent or a temporary bridge to ensure safe access to education, healthcare, and markets. “A simple bamboo bridge during the rainy season would ease our suffering, but no one takes initiative,” said Ward Chairperson Manprasad Limbu.

Until a bridge is constructed, students in Mechi nagar and Dharan will continue to be deprived of their basic right to education every monsoon season.