Locals and volunteers build a temporary bridge in Sangkhlaburi

The iconic Wang Kha waking bridge in Sangkhlaburi was damaged recently in heavy rain falls that caused the Sangkhlair River to break its banks. Last Sunday between thirty and fifty meters of the eight hundred and fifty meter bridge were wiped away.

The bridge is the second longest bridge in the world, the first being the Horrai Bridge in Japan. The bridge that was built in 1984 attracts more than three thousand tourists a year and was built to connect the Mon and the Thai residential areas of Sangkhlaburi.

Communities’ dependant on water for their livelihood, have been affected by the flooding and the wreckage carried from upstream and many of the farms in the area have been crippled.

Many of the locals in the area, with help from volunteers, are now constructing a temporary bridge in order to reconnect communities on both sides of the river, while they are waiting for Thailand’s longest bridge to be repaired.

Story by Ann Kwanta

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