Bridge collapse puts students, locals in peril

More than 200 students in Barguna’s Taltali upazila now depend on small boats to reach school after an iron bridge over the Bogirdona canal collapsed.

The bridge connected Talukdar Para and Boraitali, disrupting daily travel for about 5,000 residents of Mourubhi Para, Pawya Para, Talukdar Para and Boraitali. With no alternative route, residents must cross the canal by boat.

The 60-foot-long, eight-foot-wide bridge was built in 2002 to connect Talukdar Para in Barabagi union with Boraitali village in Nishanbaria union. The Local Government Engineering Department said prolonged lack of maintenance left it dilapidated and dangerous before it collapsed on September 2.

“The bridge had long been in a vulnerable state, but authorities took no steps to repair it. Now that it has collapsed, we are forced to cross the canal by boat at risk to attend classes,” said Jannati Akter, a 10th-grade student at Talukdar Para School. Headteacher Mohammad Abu Taher said attendance had fallen since the collapse.

Resident Jahangir Hossain called for a new bridge. Taltali’s upazila nirbahi officer, Atish Sarker, said the engineering department had been instructed to remove the wreckage and build a temporary wooden bridge to ease residents’ difficulties.

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The bridge had long been in a vulnerable state, but authorities took no steps to repair it. Now that it has collapsed, we are forced to cross the canal by boat at risk to attend classes.