KOCHI: The incessant rain that has been lashing the eastern parts of Ernakulam district for the last few weeks will bring to a halt the renovation works of the concrete bridge in Muvattupuzha.
The structure which is considered to be the first concrete bridge in Asia, was constructed under the supervision of British engineer, V H Emarald, during the regime of Maharaja Sreemoolam Thirunal in 1914.
The continuous rains and subsequent increase in the level of the water in the river also threatens to delay the reinforcement work of the heritage structure.
Speaking to ‘Express’, Shabu, assistant engineer, Roads and Bridges division PWD, said that the work has been stopped now due to monsoon showers. “As part of the renovation works, we have applied grout, which is a mixture of cement and sand and water, on the exposed surface of the bridge slabs from beneath under pneumatic pressure. The next phase of work can be resumed in full swing only after the peak monsoon showers are over as the intermittent rains tend to wash away the construction works,” he said.
Besides, the work on shifting the two water pipes laid by the Kerala Water Authority, on both sides of the bridge, will be started in two months. They have given the estimate for shifting the pipes and it will take a couple of months to complete the formalities regarding the shifting of the pipes, he added.
The bridge, which recently celebrated its centenary, still stands as strong as the day it was built. However, the plaster of the slabs on the underside of the bridge has started to peel off recently, exposing rusting steel rods. All this pointed towards the gradual weakening of the bridge. Following this discovery, the state government gave sanction to renovate the bridge at a cost of `1.16 crore, said officials. Apart from this, it would cost the exchequer at least `33 lakh to shift KWA pipelines to a safer distance, they added.
As part of the renovation project, the PWD will also undertake beautification works, without causing any alterations in its archaeological features, on the heritage structure and a lighting system will also be set up as part of the project.
According to locals,the bridge which stood the test of time was inaugurated by then British engineer and his wife. And as part of testing the stability of the bridge during the time of inauguration, as many as 15 elephants were made to walk over the bridge, while British couple stood beneath the bridge in a country boat.
The PWD officials also said the pillars of the bridge were made of big piece of granite boulders which had been cemented together. It is also believed that the steel and cement used for the construction of the bridge were imported from England. Though monsoon has hampered the work, officials are confident of completing the renovations before the stipulated time of nine months.
A Brief History
The structure which is considered to be the first concrete bridge in the country, was constructed under the supervision of British engineer, V H Emarald, during the regime of Maharaja Sreemoolam Thirunal in 1914. It is said that as part of the inauguration, the strength of the structure was tested by making as many as 15 elephants to walk over the bridge, while the British engineer and his wife couple stood beneath in a country boat.