Tech-savvy trio develops `hydraulic bridge’ to solve energy crisis in Kashmir

Srinagar: When schools re-opened in March, three batchmates Omar Sahabzada, Dayan Sabeel, and Mohammad Haziq, decided to put their technological prowess gained during lockdown to good use.

Students of 12th standard at Tyndale Biscoe School, who love to read about ships and ports, decided to innovate something in the same field.

For months, the tech-savvy trio worked hard to create something that would help Kashmir. Come May, a hydraulic bridge that generates electricity was born.

“We wanted to develop a model that will solve the problem of environmental pollution and energy crisis. The model we developed under the supervision of Khawaja Irfan Ali, our Environmental Studies teacher, will solve the pollution problem and generate electricity,” said Omar Sahabzada.

The bridge works on three laws of physics- pascals law, electricity conduction, and electricity generation. “The bridge works as an electricity generator. With the help of the river water pressure electricity is generated within the bridge. This electricity can be used to light the bridge as well as the nearby areas,” he said.

These bridges can be built over rivers including Ganga, Yamuna, and even on river Jhelum if it is dredged and widened.

“Through this bridge, we can give a boost to the economy of the country. Landlocked cities including Delhi, Noida, Agra, and Varanasi which are built over rivers can be converted into revenue-generating ports. It will reduce the shipping cost and will certainly boost the economy of India,” he said.

Omar said the bridge can prove helpful in reducing the travel time to save the fuel and pollution caused by motor vehicles.

 “This model is proof that a hydraulic bridge is an actual engineering marvel. London, which is 376 miles away from the nearest sea, has a port on the River Thames and is a perfect example of how hydraulic bridges work. We have a huge scope of hydraulic bridges in India but unfortunately, we don’t have them in abundance,”  he said.

The trio said their model will be soon taken to the University of Toronto for examination and evaluation. “So far we have completed the registration process and soon this model will be evaluated at the University of Toronto,” Omar said.

The trio demonstrated the model before Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who appreciated their innovation.