Chepang children risk swollen rivers to get to school

What is happening to Chepang students when they cross the Lothar Khola to attend school?

Chepang students face a dangerous river crossing on their journey to Thakaltar Secondary School. During the monsoon, the Lothar Khola becomes a muddy, fast-moving torrent. With no bridge, students must enter the water or miss school. The crossing turns a basic trip for education into a serious safety risk.

One eighth-grader, Chinimaya Chepang, rolled up her trousers and crossed after school in heavy rain. Older students carried younger children on their backs or under their arms. Singhlal Chepang said one or two children die after being swept away almost every year, although no deaths had been reported from the Lothar that year.

The danger affects education as well as safety. Around 50 children from Kharkhande and nearby settlements attend the school. When the water rises too high, they cannot attend. A permanent bridge would allow students to travel safely and keep their schooling from being interrupted each monsoon.

What is a monsoon, and why can it make a river such as the Lothar Khola rise suddenly and become dangerous?

A monsoon is a seasonal weather pattern that brings sustained or heavy rain to a region. In Nepal, monsoon rains can send large amounts of water into streams and rivers. Rain falling quickly across hills and slopes runs into river channels, raising water levels and speeding the current.

The Lothar Khola is a steep stream between Thakaltar in Chitwan and Kharkhande in Raksirang-6. Its water level can rise suddenly. That change makes the crossing dangerous because people may face deep, fast-moving water with little warning. The article describes the river as a muddy torrent during heavy rain.

This seasonal rise affects more than students. Vehicles cannot cross when the river floods, and residents may be unable to reach markets or hospitals. The article reports that larger vehicles had been unable to cross for two months, while students sometimes cannot attend school when the water becomes too high.

How many students and communities are affected, and for how many months each year is travel disrupted?

The crossing affects around 50 children from Kharkhande and nearby settlements, including lower Silinge. They travel to Thakaltar Secondary School in neighbouring Chitwan. The wider impact reaches residents of four Raksirang wards: 6, 7, 8 and 9. These communities use the route for daily travel and supplies.

The disruption lasts through the rainy season. The article reports that vehicle traffic had been disrupted for the past two months, with larger vehicles unable to cross since the river flooded. Students may also stop attending school when the water becomes too high. The exact length varies with river conditions.

Development work faces an even longer interruption. Govinda Ram Chepang said work stops once June begins and resumes only after the river subsides, around November. This means the bridge shortage affects education and transport immediately, while also delaying construction and other improvements across the four wards each year.

What happens to education, medical care, transport, markets, and development work when people cannot cross the river?

The missing bridge disrupts essential services and local livelihoods. Students may be unable to reach school when the river rises. Sick people are harder to take to hospital because ambulances cannot reliably cross. Residents also lose regular vehicle access for daily travel during the rainy season.

The crossing carries construction materials, food and agricultural produce from the villages to market. When flooding blocks vehicles, supplies cannot move normally and farm products cannot reach buyers as easily. Larger vehicles had already been unable to cross for two months when the report described the situation.

Development suffers too. Govinda Ram Chepang said work in the four wards stops once June begins and resumes around November, after the river subsides. Without a permanent bridge, the same interruption returns each year. The rural municipality has requested funding, but the project remains unfinished.

Why are people in these four wards, most of whom belong to the Chepang Indigenous community, especially dependent on this crossing?

People in Raksirang’s wards 6, 7, 8 and 9 depend on the Lothar crossing for ordinary life. The route connects settlements such as Silinge, Damarang, Kharkhande and Siladhuni with Bhandara in Chitwan. It supports travel, schooling, supplies, health care and access to markets.

The dependence is especially clear for Chepang families. Around 50 children from Kharkhande and nearby settlements, all from the Chepang community, attend Thakaltar Secondary School. Residents also use the route to move food, construction materials and agricultural produce. When the river floods, those activities are interrupted together.

The article identifies the Chepang as one of Nepal’s historically marginalised Indigenous groups. It does not describe another dependable route around the river. Local leaders therefore view a bridge as a pressing need. The rural municipality has repeatedly asked provincial and federal governments for funding because local resources cannot build the required structure.

What temporary alternatives do residents use, and why are carrying motorcycles or children across the river not safe or reliable substitutes for a bridge?

Residents use temporary, risky methods because the Lothar has no bridge. Students walk through the water, and older children carry younger ones across. Motorcyclists can pay young men waiting at the riverbank to carry their motorcycles over while they cross on foot.

Saroj Chepang and Dinesh Chepang each paid Rs2,000 for this service. During the monsoon, eight to 10 young men make a living ferrying motorcycles, charging up to Rs2,000 per vehicle. The arrangement helps some travellers, but it depends on people being available and does not create a safe route for everyone.

The article says no one helps young children cross for a fee. A sudden rise in water can create a powerful current, making any crossing hazardous. Larger vehicles cannot cross when the river floods. These temporary methods therefore cannot replace a permanent bridge for school travel, ambulances, supplies or development work.

Why does building a permanent bridge require cooperation and funding from local, provincial, and federal governments?

Building the bridge exceeds the rural municipality’s available budget. Chair Raj Kumar Malla said the local government had repeatedly asked the provincial and federal governments to fund construction. He said the municipality could not pay for such a large concrete bridge alone.

The project also requires planning beyond an informal crossing. The rural municipality prepared a detailed project report three years ago and submitted the funding request to both higher levels of government. Neither government allocated the money. This leaves the technical plan without the financing needed for construction.

Cooperation matters because the bridge would serve several wards and connect Raksirang with routes in neighbouring Chitwan. Its benefits include safer school travel, hospital access, transport and markets. Until the three levels align funding and action, residents continue facing seasonal disruption, while development work stops for months each year.

Key Facts:

📌 Students cross the Lothar Khola on foot during dangerous monsoon conditions.

📌 Older children carry younger students through the fast current.

📌 One or two children reportedly die after being swept away almost every year.

📌 A monsoon is a seasonal period of heavy rain.

📌 The Lothar Khola’s water level can rise suddenly.

📌 The steep stream develops a powerful current during heavy rain.

📌 Around 50 children from nearby settlements attend Thakaltar Secondary School.