AMN / WEB DESK
Over 140 people have been killed when more than a-century-old suspension bridge in Morbid Gujarat, was crammed with people when it collapsed on Sunday evening. The bridge had reopened five days ago after extensive repairs and renovation.
It was Sir Waghji Thakor, who ruled Morbi till 1922, was inspired by the colonial influence and decided to construct the bridge, an “artistic and technological marvel” of that period, to connect Darbargadh Palace with Nazarbag Palace (the residences of the then royalty). The bridge was 1.25 metres wide and spanned 233 metres, and was meant to give a unique identity to Morbi using the latest technology available in those days in Europe, as per the collectorate website.
The town of Morbi is situated on the Machchhu River, 35 km from the sea and 60 km from Rajkot. Morbi city is the administrative headquarters of the district.
This district is surrounded by Kutch district in north, Surendranagar district in east, Rajkot district in south and Jamnagar district in the west.
Tragedy of 1979
On August 11, 1979, the four-kilometer long dam (Machhu Dam-II) on the Machhu river in Gujarat collapsed leading to a deluge in the industrial city of Morbi located five kilometers downstream and the surrounding rural areas that destroyed thousands of homes and lives.
This devastating flood occurred in the wake of ten days of persistent rainfall when the dam’s floodgates wrongly designed for passage of 220,000 cusecs of water received an inflow of 400,000 cusecs. The earthen dam overtopped and collapsed. Within 20 minutes floods of 12 to 30 ft height inundated the low-lying areas of Morbi town. The book reveals how the dam authorities had been ignoring repeated warnings from the central authorities regarding the calculation of maximum flood.