If you have visited Rishikesh, I am sure you have walked on the Ram Jhula bridge. It is one of the most famous attractions in the yoga capital of India. Not only do people walk on this bridge, but you will also witness two-wheelers passing through it. But not any more. This 750-foot-long suspension bridge, Ram Jhula, has been temporarily suspended for bikers since Thursday.
Rishikesh Ram Jhula Bridge Closed For Bikers
Uttarakhand’s Tehri district government has suspended movements on the Ram Jhula in Rishikesh. The bridge is built over the river Ganga, and even people’s movement was restricted on Thursday morning.
This decision came after the region witnessed heavy rainfall and 40 m of its protection wall got washed away as the level of the Ganga rose.
Devendra Singh Negi, Narendranagar sub-divisional magistrate, informed me that the river has been flowing above the warning level. It sporadically went above the danger mark because of heavy rainfall in the last few days.
He said that the movement of the two-wheelers has been suspended as a precautionary measure. The movement of tourists and pilgrims was also stopped for a while, but resumed later in the day.
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PWD Engineers Are Looking Into The Matter
Devendra Singh Negi, Narendranagar sub-divisional magistrate, said that Public Works Department (PWD) engineers are already at work. They have begun taking the necessary steps for the safety of people and the bridge.
Executive engineer at PWD in Narendranagar, Ashutosh, said that the Ganga river’s heavy flow has eroded the bank on the Tehri side, just 4 meters away from the bridge. He mentioned that as the Ganga is flowing above the marks, there is no way that they can build a safety wall. It will be built after the rainy season ends.
For now, they are using wire mesh and bags filled with rocks to make sure that the banks don’t get further eroded. Last year, in April, the iconic Ram Jhula bridge was closed after one of its wires snapped suddenly.
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