The pontoon bridge over the Yamuna between Wazirabad and Manju Ka Tila was damaged due to sudden discharge of water by the Haryana government from the Hathni Kund barrage on Thursday.
“There has been record rain in February, increasing the water level in the Yamuna. In addition, the Haryana government released 27 lakh cusecs of water without warning, causing further increase in the water level. When our staff at the bridge noticed the sudden rise in water level in the evening, they closed the bridge to traffic,” said a senior Public Works Department official.
The pontoon bridge is meant for light vehicles to avoid traffic jams on the Wazirabad bridge and usually remains open from mid-October to mid-June. “The bridge is closed to traffic during the monsoon due to the high water level,” said the official.
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Though the Delhi traffic police informed commuters about the damage on its Facebook page on Friday morning and warned of heavy traffic, long lines of vehicles could be seen on the Wazirabad Yamuna bridge and the ISBT flyover.
The official said it might take more than a week to restore traffic on the bridge. “The bridge is damaged at several points. It may take longer to repair it if the water level continues to be high,” said the officer.