Sg Kampar's Tragedy

This is yet another national tragedy in celebrating 1Malaysia concept. My condolence to the family of Dina Deve Nathan. By looking at the report continuously updated by the star online I realised there were few things that went wrong:-

1. It seems that there were no instructions given to students what do and don't in crossing the bridge.

2. None of the teachers participating in the event ever experienced/lack of it or not enforcing their experience in supervising the 298 students.

3. Ignorance from JKR

Since I am not an engineer I have nothing to talk about the structural fault of the suspension bridge which will be investigated by the authority. But in any bridge of that kind there must be special cautions taken by users. For example there must be a limited number of users at any single moment crossing the bridge. Jumping and swaying left and right are strictly prohibited.

The collapse of Tacoma Bridge Nov 7, 1940 just 4 months after it was completed was designed to save money [but at the end it proved to cost more money]. It collapsed due to what the engineers call it as aerolastic fluttering. It happens when air is passing over an object [a bridge] at a steady speed and the bridge shifts slightly. The force of the wind transfers into the object which then pushes back in the opposite direction slightly harder than the winds naturaly would. Because of this the bridge cathes more wind and it sways left and right until it cannot sustaine the forces anymore.

This event had led to a new bridge design technology and I believe had been taken into consideration in designing and constructing this small suspension bridge in Sg Kampar, if ever! The $32 millions London's Millennium Bridge rocked side to side on its opening day June 10, 2000 really embarassed the engineering society also. The wooble was later reported due to the almost 2,000 padestrians crossing the bridge at any one time. Unintentionally, they walked in syn left right left right in near perfect unison. Even the bridge surpassed the engineering standards for withstanding weight and wind it kept swaying.

Although it's a military standard to break step in bridge crossing marching to avoid vertical bridge movement (up and down) which can lead to a bridge collapse, London's Millennium Bridge was lateral (left and right). Later at the cost of staggering $8.9 millions, the bridge was fitted with 91 dampers to absorb both vertical and lateral forces. And it was done in 2002 and I hope all our Qualified Engineers have read paper, "Crowd Synchrony on the Millenium Bridge" and fully understood the effects and solutions.

The collapse of Tacoma Bridge and the wooble of London's Millennium can be related to Sg Kampar's tragedy. It was reported that the students jumped which could cause enough vertical force to destroy the bridge. It could have made the matter worse if the bridge swayed left and right. Why they jumped at the first place? We cannot blame them of their behavior because they were not born to know the effects of jumping on the suspension bridge.

If anybody ever crossed Taman Negara's Canopy Walk, it clearly stated that maximum number of users to use the Walk in a single moment and to distance themselves apart to avoid the Walk to collapse. Even the Sg Kampar's bridge was built to withstand any forces, the students must be instructed properly in using it. We may say that this was our first tradegy. But we are living in highly connected world. News happens a moment ago anywhere in the world can be viewed or read moments later either through CNN or our mobile. The collapse of Nepal's suspension bridge and others should have triggerred our authority to incorporate it as a compulsory procedure in crossing a suspension bridge. The rules are:-

1. Be apart and keep distance in small group

2. Do not sway or jump

In Sg Kampar it seems that the students were left by their own in crossing the bridge which led to their jumping behaviour. Just because we wanted to promote 1Malaysia our Ministry of Education has ignored an important aspect which is safety. If safety was the top priority, the students should have been warned to discipline themselves in a standard outdoor activities. Even the bridge was constructed sub standard, by following a safety procedure we can reduce the risk.

I hope we must learn how to cross a suspension bridge similiar to Sg Kampar's as what we have learnt and been taught on how to cross a road. Look right, look left and right. If it is clear then we crosss!

It was also reported that the family of the dead will take a legal action against the contractor who built the bridge. In my personal point of view who has no engineering background, why the contractor to be blamed? We must understand that in any contruction works, a contractor will do anything to reduce cost. It is a duty of an engineer or an architect to supervise and approve building safety. If any irregularities were found during construction period, it was the job of the supervisor to instruct the contractor for a redo. Once certifed fit for public use, contractor should not be solely hold responsible. The authority or anybody who approved it must be legally liable.

Summarily, I hope the Ministry of Education must take the responsibility in causing the death and injuries to the students. If it was found out later that the brigde was contructed not according to specifications then the authority responsible for approving it must be taken to court.

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