Thenpennai bridge washed away in December 2024 floods not designed per norms: Arappor Iyakkam
CHENNAI: The Rs 15.9-crore bridge built across Thenpennai river, connecting Agarampallipattu and Thondamanur villages in Tiruvannamalai district, which was inaugurated last September and washed away in the unprecedented floods in December during Cyclone Fengal, was not constructed as per the design standards recommended by the Indian Road Congress for high-level bridges.
Soon after the bridge's collapse, the highways department had said that the bridge was designed to withstand flood levels up to 54,000 cusecs and on the day of the collapse (December 3), the water flow in the river was triple the level at 1.68 lakh cusecs.
However, documents released on Wednesday by NGO Arappor Iyakkam showed that the maximum water discharge recorded in the last 100 years was not taken into consideration, as recommended by the IRC.
It said that this is despite the Public Works Department communicating to the state highways before the finalisation of the contract for the bridge that a maximum discharge of 2.8 lakh cusecs was recorded in the river near the proposed site in 1972, which is 40 % lesser than the discharge witnessed during the floods in December.
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