Flash floods, threat to bridges on Tawi river

Sumit Hakhoo

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Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 19

Flash floods are emerging as a new threat to crucial bridges on the Tawi in Jammu as water is slowly eroding embankments at several places, threatening vital lines of communication in the winter capital.

During heavy rain last week, a gaping hole emerged at Bikram Chowk, one end of the Tawi bridge, setting alarm bells ringing in the administration.

Although the Irrigation and Flood Control Department has started the repair work, it has raised questions like why cosmetic measures are adopted only when something happens.

Preventive steps should have been taken to strengthen the bank near places the bridge after the September 2014 deluge which destroyed the fourth bridge near Bhagwati Nagar and the one connecting 30,000 people of eight panchayat blocks of Tawi island.

Although the Bhagwati Nagar bridge was temporarily repaired and restored for movement of traffic, it would take more than two years to connect the island surrounded by the river with Jammu.

Public Works Department Chief Engineer Alok Mengi said there was no threat to communication lines, but they were keeping a watch.

“The last three years have been difficult as there has been massive flooding in the river which is beyond our control. Last year, when the water breached the river banks, there was no structural damage,” he said.

Four bridges have been built over the river within the city. Two join Gumat with Bikram Chowk, one connects Gujjar Nagar with Bahu Fort area and one joins Bhagwati Nagar with Satwari. A fifth bridge has been built on the river on the bypass near Nagrota.

When a flash flood occurs, the water rises very rapidly and within minutes, a harmlessly looking river which transverses the temple city becomes a raging stream capable of rolling boulders, tearing out trees and destroying buildings.

Irrigation and Flood Control Department Chief Engineer Rajiv Gandotra said repair work had been started. “It is an unexpected situation and we have started to fill the gap. Whatever is possible is being done to save infrastructure,” he said.

During 2014, over 2,500 roads and 163 small bridges had been damaged in the Jammu province alone due to the flooding in the state. Four days of rain which lashed Jammu and Kashmir from September 3 to 6 last year left unprecedented devastation after rivulets and rivers swelled.