NAROWAL: Citizens have to travel an additional 20 kilometers or cross the Dek rainwater drain on dangerous boats after the bridge connecting the Zafarwal tehsil of Narowal district with the Sialkot district was washed away in the recent floods.

Workers and students crossed the Hanjaliwala bridge to travel to Sialkot everyday on motorcycles and private transport. However, the bridge was washed away by the floodwaters in the rainwater drain Dek. This forced the daily commuters to take alternative routes, including a 20km diversion or on dangerous private boats.

Farhan Ijaz, a local journalist from Zafarwal, told Dawn that citizens of Narowal district were facing severe difficulties in reaching Sialkot. He said that hundreds of workers and students from dozens of villages in Zafarwal and surrounding areas had to now travel an additional 15 to 20 kilometers to reach Sialkot. He said the bridge was washed away 40 days ago and the government had not built a temporary bridge for the convenience of citizens.

Citizens Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Azeem said that some individuals had set up a boat system to cross the Dek rainwater drain.

They said that people and motorcycles now crossed the rainwater drain on private boats by paying Rs50 per trip. They said that citizens were forced to travel on dangerous boats without life jackets to avoid an additional 15 to 20km journey.

Another citizen, Muhammad Saeed, said that Rs100 had to be paid daily to the owners of the private boats by people who were already strained due to inflation and unemployment.

Sialkot Deputy Commissioner Saba Asghar Ali was contacted for comments, but no response was received till the filing of this report.

The citizens have demanded Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to take immediate notice of the situation.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2025