By Kemo Cham
Residents of three neighbouring chiefdoms in Koinadu District are crying for help after the only bridge that link them to each other collapsed.
The bridge which is located in Kakuthuhu Village in Diang Chiefdom, links over a dozen communities between Diang, Kasongo and Bonkobo Kayaka Chiefdoms.
Kakuthuhu is situated near the Kabala–Makeni highway. Residents say the bridge was washed away by a tree that fell into the river following heavy rains.
Ibrahim Sorie Koroma, Head Teacher of the Roman Catholic Primary School in Kakuthuhu, told ManoReporters that over a dozen communities between the three chiefdoms have been isolated as a result of the situation.
“Inhabitants in each of the three communities can’t access the other communities. The water has become a barrier for us,” lamented Ibrahim Sorie Koroma, Head Teacher, RC Primary School, kakuthuhu.
Kakuthuhu lies about 20 miles from Kabala and it is separated from the Kabala-Makeni highway by the bridge.
There is an alternative route from the community to other parts of the district, but residents say it entails a very long and costly journey.
But Mr Koroma is particularly concerned that the incident happened shortly before school reopened. Many of his over 180 pupils can only access the school through the bridge.
As a tentative measure, the villagers built a makeshift bridge with ropes, which Koroma warns is unsafe for anyone, especially children.
The destroyed bridge was itself made by the villagers. And they rebuild it every year ahead of the raining season.
