Sabarimala: The bridge across the Pamba river at Triveni, en route to the famed Sabarimala shrine, has been found buried under a mesh of soil, logs of wood, and large phalanx of roots.
The Pamba had breached its banks in the devastating August floods. The water had displaced small structures and left a trail of damage on the banks. The salvage workers of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) could not locate the bridge and it was reported that the structure had been 'washed away.'
As post-flood work progressed, the 'metallic pedestrian structure' showed up from under a mound of mud and debris. Workers took special care was taken to retrieve it. Reports said the structure had been dug out and 'retrieved.'
The Pamba, Kerala's third-longest river flowing by its southeast, had changed its course on several stretches in the semi-hilly Pathanamthitta district during the August 15-22 deluge. Efforts were being made to ensure the 176-km river regained its original profile and course, which covers an area below the famed Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala.
The boulders and soil washed down by the river in spate had raised a new patch of land along the Pamba at Sabarimala. As the rubble gathered a height of 5.5 metre, the river diverted and assumed a new course.
The altered bit of topography forced the authorities to infer that the floods had washed away the bridge and the point called Triveni (tri-junction or confluence of three rivers - Pamba, Kakki and Njunungar). Last week, amid a repair mission, five earth-movers were brought to the site and operated for three days. For, there was no way one could reach the other side of the river.
Prior to the floods, the bridge stood ahead of the Triveni, where the Kakki river joins the Pamba. The Kakki river too brought down and deposited a huge mass of mud and stones. Today, the Pampa flows in between what were restaurants, hotels, public convenience complexes and dining halls of the pilgrim centre. The Pampa and the Kakki now meet further down the Triveni.
Authorities managed to remove the soil between two pillars of the Triveni bridge to aid water in the Kakki river flow down seamlessly.
Higher bridge likely
A new bridge will come up at Triveni. The plan is to construct a bridge that can withstand flooding. The plan is to ensure connectivity between the fuel pump at Pamba and the Ganapati temple at the pilgrim site. The Tata group has already made a project assessment. The company will submit a report to the chief secretary. The engineering firm has been entrusted with rebuilding all the basic necessities that Sabarimala lost in the recent floods, sources said.
