Sunday, January 31, 2010

Live Bridges – Amazing Bio-Engineering In Chirapunji

We can see amazing bio engineering in Chirapunji, one of the wettest places on the earth, in the depths of northeastern India,Here the bridges are not built by human. They are grown automatically from the roots of the Ficus elastica tree.These tree produces secondry roots from its higher up trunk which can comfortably rest on the boulders along the river.

The War-Khasis a tribe in Meghalaya noticed this tree and its powerful roots and realised the use of these roots to cross the river. The root bridges takes ten to fifteen years to function completely and some of which are more than hundred feet long. As the roots are growing still the bridge gain strengh over time. Some of these are over five hundred years old.

See The Amazing Live Bridges

 live bridges in chirapunji

 live bridges in chirapunji

 live bridges in chirapunji

 live bridges in chirapunji

 live bridges in chirapunji

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