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| Title |
Twisting roots to construct bridges |
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| Details |
Cherapunjee area in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya receives the highest amount of rainfaill in the world. The villages which punctuate these hills are scattered along a highly irregular landscape punctuated by perennial streams and deep gorges. Crossing these streams and gorges can be a nightmare, specially during the monsoon months. These villages would have remained isolated and inaccessible had it not been for the numerous footbridges that the villagers have built over the years.
The bridges are built by twisting and positioning the roots and moulding the growth of the giant rubber trees, which grow abundantly in the area. They are reinforced with time, as the roots grow stronger. This has been an innovation of the community through the knowledge and experience accumulated over time.
These bridges have remarkable longevity and are sturdier than the bridges made of bamboo or wood, which gets washed away in the torrential downpour. It does not swing or wobble like other hanging bridges. There are also some bridges with two levels, that can carry people and animals.
The cost of building these bridges are negligible, since there are no material costs, nor the need to transport raw material. The bridge is constructed and maintained by the community, incurring minimum labour cost.
The innovation makes use of the unique resources available in the place, specially the high rate of rainfall, which encourages fast growth of roots and trees. The bridges are a testimony to one of the core strengths of the tribal life, community ownership of natural resources. Thus the bridges are constructed, owned and maintained by the people in a participatory way.
The commercialization potential of this innovation may not be high, but it can be replicated in areas with similar geographical features. |
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| Volume No. |
Honey Bee, 16(2):20, 2005 |
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Contributed by Vakkayil Jacob, XIM, Bhubaneshwar |
