05/25/2024 – 17:35
The Army will redo the floating pedestrian walkways that were installed on rivers in Vale do Taquari, in Rio Grande do Sul. The state faces the greatest climate tragedy of its history, hit by rains and floods since the end of April.
The original bridges were destroyed by the currents caused by the first rains and the Army improvised the crossings – as improvised crossings with wooden walkways on boats are called. These walkways, in turn, gave way with the heavy rains last Thursday (23).
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“Less than 24 hours after the collapse of three floating walkways, Army Engineering units mobilized quickly and sent new structures to replace and guarantee the well-being of the community”, informed the agency.
The new crossings come from military units in São Borja (RS), Tubarão (SC) and Palmas (PR) and will be installed as soon as river and weather safety conditions allow. The rupture occurred on the crossings between Lajeado and Arroio do Meio, located on the Forqueta River; and in Candelária, in Rio Pardo.
During the morning of this Saturday (25), the Army prepared the bank of the Forqueta River for access by pedestrians and boats. At noon, the military began crossing residents in boats, reestablishing the flow in the area. “The placement of the new crossings still depends on improving the river’s current conditions”, he informed.
High flow
Last Sunday (19), the report from Brazil Agency traveled part of the Taquari Valley and recorded the movement of people on the walkway set up near the place where the RS-130 state highway bridge was located, between Lajeado and Arroio do Meio.
The flow of people crossing from one side to the other was intense, in a procedure organized by Army soldiers. It is mandatory to cross with life jackets.
As the walkway is narrow, “one-way”, the groups on each side are released alternately. Elderly people, those with reduced mobility and children have even more difficulty, as the crossing requires descending the steep slippery embankment, soaked by the rain.
Last Saturday (18), Governor Eduardo Leite announced the construction of a new bridge at the site, which should cost around R$14 million and take more than 180 days to build.
According to latest balance of the state’s Civil Defense, released this morning, 165 deaths have been confirmed to date. There are 64 people missing and 581,638 left homeless. In total, 55,791 people are in temporary shelters spread across the state.
*Pedro Rafael Vilela collaborated
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