Rautahat, July 16 -- Saroj Das, aged 57, of Badaharwa in ward 5 of Durga Bhagawati Rural Municipality boards a shaky old wooden boat to cross the swollen Bagmati river and reach his farmland on the opposite bank. For Das this perilous journey is not a matter of choice, but of compulsion. With no bridge connecting the two sides, Das and hundreds like him face daily risks, especially during the monsoon when the river turns fierce and unpredictable.

"I have pleaded for years for a bridge. In the rainy season, boating becomes life-threatening, but we have no alternative," Das said, recalling the three deadly boat accidents in the area over the past 15 years. Had the under construction Badaharwa bridge connecting Sarlahi and Rautahat complete...