Okhaldhunga. Tourists and the general public have been inconvenienced to travel after a boulder fell from above on a suspension bridge leading to Sepley waterfall here. Three months ago, a boulder fell from above had damaged the middle part of the bridge. The bridge has not been repaired which has caused problems in movement of domestic and foreign tourists as well as the general public visiting the waterfall during festivals.

Most of the tourists returning to the village for celebrating Dashain, Deepawali and other festivals come to Seplei waterfall located at Molung rural municipality-8. Locals say that although sporadic visitors visit the place during other seasons, the number of domestic tourists visiting the place during the festival season is significant.

Deepak Rai, a local, said that the bridge constructed last year to closely observe the waterfall as per the Tourism Infrastructure Development Plan was damaged this year. Stating that the risk has increased due to lack of maintenance for a long time, he said that children and elderly people have to cross the river risking their way across the damaged bridge.

Asha Rai of Molung-8 said that the number of tourists visiting Seply has decreased this year as information was spread that the bridge was damaged and it was risky to travel there. According to him, tourists going to Seppli in vehicles have been facing problems due to the lack of upgrading of the road which has been obstructed during the rains.

Locals have been criticizing the people’s representatives for not repairing the suspension bridge at a time when the risk is increasing. Sudhir Rai, ward chairman of Molung-8, said that the road has been disrupted during the rainy season and the construction works have not been carried out due to lack of transportation of necessary materials to the bridge. He added that preparations are underway to repair the bridge after the road comes into operation in a few days.

Seplei Waterfall has been developed as an internal tourist destination of the district due to its beauty and attractiveness. Although Molung Rural Municipality is a major tourist destination, Seplei has been neglected due to lack of necessary infrastructure development and publicity. Domestic and foreign tourists visit Pokali, Ratmate and Seppli waterfalls of Okhaldhunga during the time of September and October.