It has been more than a month since flash floods struck Denchukha Gewog in Samtse, washing away the only bridge that connected the community to the rest of the district. Today, more than a hundred vehicles still remain stranded, leaving their owners worried about their livelihoods and loan repayments.
25-year-old Sonam Tenzin is a taxi driver who relies entirely on his vehicle for his livelihood.
He bought his new EV taxi just a week before the flash flood struck.
He took out a huge loan to buy the vehicle, hoping to build a stable and decent life.
But the morning of October 5th changed everything, shattering the dreams he had just begun to chase.
More than a month after the flood, his vehicle still remains stranded in Denchukha.
The flash flood that day swept away the only bridge over the Amochhu River and severely damaged internal roads in Denchukha.
“We have worked hard to buy vehicles. It was not easy. And after buying the car, it remains stuck here. We have not been able to work and earn a single penny. With no income, paying back the loan is a concern. Availing loan was also not easy and now, after all these struggles, we have not been able to work. Every driver here is worried about loan repayment.”
With transportation completely halted for over a month, taxi and goods vehicle owners say they are struggling to make ends meet and repay their loans.
Lok Nath Bhattarai, a taxi driver said, “Forget about going out to Dorokha, we can’t even drive within the gewog only. We are facing a lot of challenges. Our income is zero. We are very worried as we won’t be able to pay back our loans.”
Ganga Ram Dahl, a resident said, “We have many vehicles here that remain stuck after multiple blocks and damaged roads. We don’t have a bridge, forcing many people to leave their vehicles here. People who came home to celebrate Dassain had no option but to leave their vehicles here.”
With the gewog centre road severely damaged, residents are currently using an old farm road to drive until the river, but they say the route is risky and unstable.
With a motorable bridge construction likely to take years, the community, together with the Department of Surface Transport, is working to construct a temporary bridge over the Amochhu to allow vehicle movement.
For now, people rely on a ropeway to transship essential items.
Until the stranded vehicles can be moved out of Denchukha or a permanent bridge is built, the lives and livelihoods of the many families who depend on them remain uncertain.
Kinley Dem
