More than seven months have passed since the famous Saphan Mon wooden bridge in Kanchanaburi’s Sangkhla Buri district collapsed last July.
A view from atop a hill shows the Saphan Mon, the country’s longest wooden bridge, which collapsed as piles of wood rammed into its mid section in torrential currents in July last year. Beside it is the floating bamboo bridge built for villagers to use while waiting for the main bridge to be rebuilt. TEERA TONGKAMONMARD
The sight of the bridge being torn apart has left local people with a hollow feeling and the delay in repair work has upset them.
A middle section of the 850m-long bridge — spanning the Song Kalia River in one of the western frontier’s remotest districts — collapsed on July 28 under the force of strong currents that followed heavy rains. The collapsed section is about 70 metres long.
The collapse occurred after piles of wood and weeds, carried along by swift currents caused by torrential rain, rammed into the mid section of the bridge.
The Uttamanusorn Bridge, more casually known as Saphan Mon, is the country’s longest wooden bridge and links Moo 2 and Moo 3 villages in tambon Nong Lu.
The structure is also the world’s second-longest wooden bridge, after the famous Ubeng Bridge in Mandalay, Myanmar.
Provincial authorities have decided to hire a contractor to rebuild the torn-out section of the bridge, a move that has met with resistance from villagers who prefer an approach involving cooperation and participation from among local residents.
They fear state intervention by hiring a contractor to carry out the repairs will see the use of heavy machinery that could ruin the identity of “the bridge of faith”, which represents the spirit of unity and teamwork binding locals together as well as the power of religious faith.
The bridge bears witness to the unwavering faith local villagers have in the late revered monk Phra Racha Udommongkhon, or Luang Pho Uttama, who inspired the bridge’s creation.
A Mon woman hammers in a loose nail on the Saphan Mon, which has been described as the bridge that binds together the people of Sangkhla Buri. PIYARACH CHONGCHAROEN
The construction of Saphan Mon was initiated by Luang Pho Uttama, the former abbot of the iconic Wat Wang Wiwekaram.
The bridge was built in late 1983 to replace a floating bamboo bridge, which villagers had to pay one baht to use to cross the river.
It came to be called the “bridge-of-one-baht”.
The revered monk arranged for a new wooden bridge to be built so villagers could have a steadier and safer passage across the river as well as save on travelling costs.
The bridge was built with complete cooperation from the locals — both Thai and ethnic Mon villagers and without the use of large machinery.
It was constructed largely of planks and logs of mai daeng (iron wood) which is ideal for a bridge as it is strong and durable, although very rare in that part of Thailand.
Some of the mai daeng timber was taken from dead trees which had lain submerged in the Khao Laem reservoir.
Construction took about one year.
Saphan Mon is a major landmark and tourist spot in the district.
The bridge has been in use for almost 30 years and had undergone occasional repairs.
After the partial collapse last year, villagers joined forces to build a floating bamboo raft as a temporary crossing to transport residents pending completion of the repair work.
Construction of the temporary bridge began on Aug 17 and it took only six days to put the raft together.
Villagers had been affected by the collapse of the bridge as they had to shoulder higher transportation costs using motorcycle taxis or buses to get to the other side of the river.
Some villagers had to pay 80 baht a day per person in fares, a huge expense for people in the rural district.
Construction of the temporary bridge was supervised by the present abbot of Wat Wang Wiwekaram, Phra Maha Suchart Siripanyo.
The Miracle of Life Foundation under the royal patronage of Princess Ubolratana gave 100,000 baht to the district to build the temporary raft bridge to aid transport across the river.
More than 7.5 million baht in donations has poured in to fund the repairs to the collapsed bridge — 5 million baht from the Government Lottery Office, 2 million baht from Siam Commercial Bank and money from members of the public.
The provincial public works and town planning office and the provincial administration office have been assigned to estimate the cost of the repairs.
A contractor will then be hired to do the work.
Initial estimates put the repair cost at about 5.7 million baht.
The cost was later revised to 11 million baht.
The price tag now is 16 million baht and could go up further, even though the work has yet to begin.
Both Thai and ethnic Mon locals agree the identity of “the bridge of faith” could be ruined if a contractor is used.
Phra Maha Suchart said the bridge underwent repairs in 1992, 2009 and 2010.
“The temple used a traditional word-of-mouth approach to persuade local villagers to help with the repairs — or bok boon [announcing the making of merit].
“When word got around, villagers turned out in force as they consider the repairs as a form of merit-making. They donated knots, wood planks, nails or money”, the abbot said.
For equipment that needed to be purchased, local traders were happy to offer low prices.
Cheap skilled labour for the repair projects was abundant in the district.
However, the monk said he will respect the provincial authorities’ decision on the repair project, but he asked that the restored bridge remain a wooden one and its identity be retained.
Maiyarat Peerayankoset, former president of the Association of Domestic Travel, said Saphan Mon is not only a major landmark for the district, it also embodies the “togetherness” of local people.
She believes state authorities should not get in the way of the local folks’ efforts to repair their own bridge.
“The bridge is charming and attracts visitors. State intervention will spoil its mystique,” she said. Natthapol Suppawong, head of a provincial photography club, said the bridge reflects a bond between local people and their way of life.
“My heart sank when the bridge collapsed. Right now the repairs are being delayed, which makes me even more sad,” Mr Natthapol said.
“Just look at the bridge being torn apart and people still being unable to cross the river.
“It is like part of local culture and the local way of life has gone missing.”
He said contracting the repairs may be a quick fix, but many local people and tourists disagree with the way the bridge is to be repaired without local participation.
“Using the state method will devalue the bridge and ruin the people’s faith,” he said.
Sangkhla Buri district chief Chathip Rujanaseree said he has taken a lot of criticism for the delay in the project.
He admitted decisions over the repair work rest with Kanchanaburi governor Chaiwat Limwantha, who is chairman of the bridge restoration committee.
The district chief, who also sits on the committee, said he is trying to step up efforts to have the bridge up and running again before the next rainy season in the latter half of the year.
Wangka municipality mayor Pakorn Noykate said if the temple had been allowed to take over the supervision of the repairs, the work would proceed more quickly.
The temple has had experience building and repairing the wooden bridge.
Moreover, state-initiated methods are likely to lift the repair costs, Mr Pakorn said.
He said the temple can mobilise funds from its devout Buddhist followers and local villagers to repair the bridge.
Aranya Charoenhongsa, a 41-year-old ethnic Mon villager, and a secretary to the mayor, said local residents want to fix the bridge themselves as they did in the past.
Villagers and technicians put together the floating bamboo bridge in the wake of the partial collapse of the Saphan Mon in the middle of last year. PIYARACH CHONGCHAROEN
Saphan Mon, pictured before it collapsed, provides a vital transport route for the people divided by the river. It is also a landmark tourist attraction of the district. PIYARACH CHONGCHAROEN