Bridges to nowhere

Published July 4, 2015
The collapse of Chanawan bridge near Gujranwala is a tragedy whose cause might take a while to determine. —Reuters/File
The collapse of Chanawan bridge near Gujranwala is a tragedy whose cause might take a while to determine. —Reuters/File

THE collapse of Chanawan bridge near Gujranwala, which resulted in the loss of 17 lives when the engine and three carriages of a train passing over it fell into the canal below, is a tragedy whose cause might take a while to determine. What is regrettable to note is the early blame game that has led to tensions between those officials responsible for law enforcement and those responsible for maintenance of the bridge. The former said it was unlikely to be an act of sabotage, whereas the latter said the bridge, which is more than a century old, was in working condition as trains passed over it regularly. This exchange began even as rescue efforts were still under way, and was sparked when unnamed military officials gave informal statements to the media saying they suspected sabotage since the train was carrying troops to participate in a military exercise. Speculations about the causes of such tragedies should wait at least until rescue efforts have been completed.

What is worth bearing in mind, though, is that this is not the first bridge collapse in recent years, although it is the first one involving a railway bridge. Only last month, the collapse of the Old Bara bridge in Peshawar killed three individuals, and in April more than 50 people were injured when a makeshift bridge in an Islamabad slum collapsed as people gathered on it for a funeral service. Then in September last year, another bridge in Attock collapsed while the river below was in high flood, killing three people in a car as they were crossing it. In July 2012, two people died when a pedestrian bridge collapsed in Lahore. Then, of course, the famous Shershah bridge collapse in Karachi, that sparked an epic blame game of its own in 2007, killed five people. There are many other examples of bridges poorly maintained or makeshift bridges built for pedestrians in rural areas or urban slums collapsing. The death toll in the present tragedy is higher than in any of the other incidents mentioned here, but taken together they all highlight the casual manner in which bridges are treated in our society. Building and using bridges is easier than ensuring they remain safe from wear and tear as well as sabotage. Thus far, our track record in ensuring the upkeep and protection of our infrastructure has inspired little confidence.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2015

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