Community effort gets bridge for Seevur, thanks to floods

A couple of days ago on November 18, heavy rains washed away a bridge across the Kollpalli river connecting Seevur and Moongpattu near Gudiyattam. Residents could reach Gudiyattam town for their needs only through two-wheelers and that too only via crossing the Kaundanya and Agaram rivers.

As officials were busy in relief operations due to continuing rains and heavy flooding in the district, locals took matters into their hands. With help from a local trust, residents and local youth jointly worked to build a bridge using palmyra tree trunks. “We used 9 palmyra trees side by side and nailed wooden planks to create a bridge which was 10 feet wide and 40 feet long,” said a person involved in the exercise seeking anonymity.

Poojas were performed and flowers strewn across the bridge when it was opened for public use from Friday. A flex banner was put up nearby naming the team behind the building of the bridge and also cautioned light vehicles and two wheelers to move across it slowly while heavy vehicles were banned from using the facility.

The venture has resulted in easy access to Gudiyattam for nearly 4,000 odd residents in the Seevur area.