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Bailey Bridges in Wayanad
Context:
The Indian Army’s Madras Engineer Group constructed a “Bailey bridge” at Chooralmala to access Mundakkai village, one of the areas hardest hit by recent events.
More on News:
- Kerala’s Wayanad district was struck by devastating landslides, resulting in the tragic deaths of over 219 people with 206 individuals still missing.
- The continued rainfall has compounded the difficulties faced by rescue and relief operations. To address these challenges, they constructed a crucial 190-foot Bailey bridge.
Historical Background
- The bridge was invented by Donald Coleman Bailey, an English civil engineer, during World War II (1939-45).
- It was introduced in 1941, Bailey’s design was intended to be quickly assembled and disassembled under challenging conditions, including enemy fire.
What is a Bailey Bridge?
- It is a modular bridge designed for rapid assembly and deployment.
- Its modular design consists of light steel panels and beams that are connected using pins—large screw-like objects.
- It is made of pre-fabricated steel panels connected by pins, forming the guardrails.
- Beams are placed on these guardrails to create the bridge deck, with all components designed to lock in place for stability.
- Its lightweight parts allow for easy transport and assembly without heavy equipment, making it ideal for disaster relief and wartime situations.
Bailey Bridges in India:
India has a historical connection with the Bailey Bridge, inherited from its colonial past.
The Indian armed forces have utilised these bridges in various critical situations:
- 1971 Indo-Pakistan War: Used for strategic purposes during the conflict.
- India-China Border: Employed in strategically important areas such as Arunachal Pradesh.
- Uttarakhand 2021: Constructed after flash floods to restore connectivity.
Modular Bridge
- The 46-metre modular bridge was inducted at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi.
- It was developed jointly by the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T).
- It is a mechanically-launched, single-span, fully-decked assault bridge designed to overcome obstacles like canals and ditches with ease.
- The bridge offers increased span, reduced construction time, and mechanical launching with retrieval capability, replacing the manually launched medium girder bridges (MGBs) currently in use.
- Each set consists of seven carrier vehicles based on 8×8 heavy mobility vehicles and two launcher vehicles based on 10×10 heavy mobility vehicles.
- Strategic Importance: Over the next four years, 41 sets valued at Rs 2,585 crore will be progressively inducted.
- This move enhances the Army’s operational effectiveness and showcases India’s growing prominence in defence technology and manufacturing.
