Debris from demolished bridge creates blockages at Yamuna flood gate

The remains (pontoons) swept away from an earlier demolished bridge at Wazirabad in February 2013 has now created fresh troubles for the Public Works Department. Pontoons are floating structure used as one of the supports for a temporary bridge over a river. 

Six out of the 35 pontoon iron capsules, from an earlier demolished bridge, were stuck on the Yamuna and its banks at ITO. These objects have damaged one flood gate below the bridge that is yet to be repaired, even though monsoons are just a month away.

These iron capsules were part of decades-old pontoon bridge, which were washed away at Wazirabad after water flowed down the river from Haryana. There were 62 pontoon bridge capsules. Among them, approximately 35 capsules were washed away during the incident. Millennium Post found around half a dozen capsules on the Yamuna and its banks at ITO.  

A PWD official, on conditions of anonymity, said that one of the flood gates, with a height of around 10 feet and the width of around 60 feet, was badly damaged by one of iron capsules, which collided with the gate last year. The official further said that even two months back some cranes were brought here to bring these capsules out. However they failed in their endeavor as these capsules were full of mud, which increased their weight. 

Earlier PWD said that the iron capsules could only be washed down till ITO as there are gates there to prevent them from floating further away. But some locals who reside near the Yamuma bank said some of these capsules were floating away even after last year’s monsoon. 

The decade-old pontoon bridge built over river Yamuna linking Wazirabad with Majnu Ka Tila in north Delhi was damaged due to sudden discharge of water by Haryana government from the Hathni Kund barrage. The old pontoon bridge was meant for light vehicles to avoid traffic jams on the Wazirabad bridge. Some PWD officials even said that the theft can take advantage of this red-tapism by the department.  

Earlier on January 2013, nearly forty thieves came with labourers, two cranes and 20 gas cutters, and stole nearly half  the unused Yamuna river pontoon bridge near Geeta Colony. The pontoon bridge was set up with 45 huge iron capsules. However, the bridge was later removed as the bridge was found to be unsafe.