The State has decided to temporarily close down the floating bridges set up across State due to rough sea conditions. The Tourism department has instructed all district tourism promotion councils (DTPCs) to temporarily close the floating bridges for the tourists and take them away from the sea to keep them safely on shore.
The decision was taken given the rough sea conditions prevailing along the coastal areas in the State and warnings by weather agencies. The department of Tourism set up floating bridges in association with DTPCs, Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society, and local self-government institutions. The beaches where floating bridges were installed include Bekal (Kasaragod), Beypore (Kozhikode), Muzhappilangad (Kannur), Thanoor Thooval (Malappuram), Chavakkad (Thrissur), Kuzhuppilli (Ernakulam) and Varkala (Thiruvananthapuram).
Floating bridges are made of high-density floating polyethylene blocks. They have a 100-meter length and a three-meter width with pillars on both sides. At the end of the bridge, there is a platform 11 meters in length and seven meters in width, enabling visitors to enjoy the scenery far off the sea. The floating bridges are a major attraction for tourists as well as local holidayers in prime beaches across the state.
However, the safety of floating bridges was questioned when a portion of the floating bridge at Varkala collapsed in strong currents, injuring around 15 people. Meanwhile, the Tourism department authorities have termed as baseless the reports that the floating bridge at Muzhuppilangad in Kannur suffered damage as the sea turned turbulent on Sunday.
