TAXILA: Thousands of residents of several villages along the Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border have been left isolated after a makeshift crossing over the Haro River at Kohlia near Hassanabdal was washed away by flash floods triggered by recent monsoon rains, reviving long-standing demands for the construction of a permanent bridge.

The destruction of the temporary crossing has severed the main link connecting the villages of Kohlia, Gaar and Jhamra in Punjab with Ghazi in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, forcing commuters to travel several additional kilometres through alternative routes to reach schools, workplaces, markets and health facilities.

Residents said the collapse of the crossing has badly disrupted everyday life, particularly for students, patients requiring urgent medical care, government and private sector employees, farmers transporting produce and other daily commuters.

“The temporary crossing was built by local residents with their own resources because the authorities failed to provide a permanent solution. Every monsoon season, rising water washes it away, and thousands of people are once again cut off,” said Shafqat Zaman, a resident of Kohlia.

Another villager, Bashart Mehmood, criticised successive governments for failing to honour repeated commitments to construct a permanent bridge over the Haro River. “Politicians visit our villages before elections and promise to resolve this decades-old problem. Once elected, those promises are forgotten while residents continue to suffer every rainy season,” he said.

Representatives of Tehreek Ahliyan Kohlia and Gaar said the recurring destruction of the temporary crossing highlighted the urgent need for durable infrastructure instead of temporary arrangements. “The construction of a permanent bridge over the Haro River is no longer a luxury but a necessity. It is essential for ensuring year-round connectivity and providing safe access for thousands of residents, students, farmers and emergency patients,” a representative said.

The residents urged the Punjab government, Attock district administration and elected representatives to treat the project as a priority, saying a permanent bridge would not only restore reliable connectivity between the affected villages but also protect local communities from recurring disruption and hardship during every monsoon season.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2026