Crossing Kabul river: In Pirsabak, dangling from wires is a necessity

The shortest route to the nearest city is not for the faint hearted.

PIRSABAK:

Crossing the Kabul River while suspended hundreds of metres above it is a daunting task. Doing it twice a day is even more so. But it is a daily routine for the men, women and children of Pirsabak Village in Nowshera District.

Situated some three kilometres east of Nowshera, this village hosts 34,000 residents and the Cereal Crops Research Institute (CCRI), the leading seed research institute in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The road connecting the village to Risalpur is a 15 kilometre long bumpy road. The shortest route to the village requires either a chairlift or boat ride across the Kabul river as there are no bridges in the area.

Since the boat ride is a bit more expensive at Rs10 per person, most villagers prefer to use the lift which was installed by a private investor from Swat.

Villagers cross the river twice a day after paying five rupees per person, which increases if they are carrying heavy luggage. Cycles can be moved across for Rs10 and motorcycles for Rs20 per trip.

Sirajul Haq, who operates the 500 metres long chairlift, sits on the bank of the river and collects fares from those going to Nowshera and coming to village.

The steel lifts have seats on both sides. One side is reserved for women and the other for men. Sometimes people cross by hanging on to the front and back of the lift, which gives a dizzying experience when moving at high speed.

Jawad, an employee of CCRI en route to Nowshera, who was also taking his motorcycle across the river, told the Express Tribune that some three to four years back, a private investor constructed a pedestrian bridge, but it was washed away by last
year’s flood.

He said initially, villagers had to pay one rupee per person, two rupees per bicycle and Rs 5 per motorcycle; however, the operator recently increased fares.

Sajjad Ali, a college student, said the Risalpur Road was very long and in poor condition. “It takes around an hour and half to reach Nowshera by Risalpur Road, while the river can be crossed within minutes.”

He said it was very difficult to take sick people to the hospital, and added that although a bridge was under construction some distance from the village, the pace of work was very slow and it would invariably take a long time to complete.

Siraj spent Rs2.8 million on the chairlift and employs six persons to look after it. “It is not very profitable as its maintenance costs a lot,” he added.

Profitable or not, at least until the bridge is completed, it is a lifeline for 34,000 villagers.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2011.