[bloodrayne]

‘Urine power’ threatens Indon bridge


JAKARTA—A landmark bridge in Indonesia’s Sumatra island may collapse because too many people are fond of urinating on one of its steel pillars, a report said Saturday.

Public works officials have found that the Ampera Bridge, the landmark of Palembang City, the capital of South Sumatra province, has begun to lean on an angle and rocks slightly when traffic is heavy, the Jakarta Post said.

An official at the public works department in Palembang, Azmi Lakoni, was quoted as saying the bridge had deteriorated because people often took a leak on one of its piers, corroding the structure.

“We are concerned that one of its main support piers has been weakened by urine, as it is a popular spot for locals to relieve themselves,” Lakoni said.

He added that the acidic fluid’s corrosive forces could attribute to an eventual collapse of the bridge.

Officials said cargo vehicles weighing more than one ton would be diverted from the bridge.