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Ummonoi Root Bridge, Laitkynsew Village, Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya, India. This place, the wettest on earth, experiences rainfall of biblical proportions during the monsoon. The Cherapunjee plateau is drained by numerous vertical canyons, some more than 3500 feet, (1067 m.) deep. Numerous villages cling to the slopes and bottoms of these jungle choked ravines. In the larger canyon torrent beds there may be seen house-sized boulders which have been tumbled about by the force of the monsoon drainage. Though in the dry season these stream beds may be entirely waterless they are formidably dangerous to negotiate during monsoon. Some 1500 feet, (457 m), below the village of Laitkynsew is the most accessible example of Khasi bio-engineered footbridge construction.  The rubber tree Ficus Indicus has exuberant root growth from all parts of the tree- base, trunk and upper limbs. By strategic planting and training of this tree the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo canyon dwellers have perfected this superbly effective solution to maintaining safe access to their villages all year round. The numerous root-vines which sprout from this tree are trained through hollow, straight betel nut trunks or bamboo pipes until they bridge the torrent bed and root on the far bank. |
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| Note from Denis Rayen, proprietor of the Cherrapunjee Holiday resort:
May 2006 received only 27% of average rainfall for May up to 26th May. In the next 5 days it rained 1750.6 mm taking the total rainfall for May 2006 to 2119.8 mm against the average for the month of 1351.7 mm. |
| No timber constructed bridge would survive the seasonal battering of these water courses nor the depredations of the ubiquitous white- ant colonies living in these jungles. | 
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The principal construction root runs may be up to 18 inches, 45 cm, thick.
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This man-carrying basket is being demonstrated by Mrs. Carmela Rayen proprietress of the Cherrapunjee Holiday resort in Laitkynsew Village. Visitors may still be coolee'd down- and up the famous Khasi staircases.
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The guard rails are high and intricately woven. These routes are the only access for all materials going up or down. The legal maximum pack weight for coolee work is 40 kilos. With this load high on a coolee's back good substantial hand rails are required.
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| Root tendrils from the higher canopy may be trained down as suspension arms.
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| These bridges may have a life-span of over 150 years.
The security and longevity of these living constructions far supercedes any comparable steel erection. |
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From Turla Village the stone staircase to Nongriat descends 2500 feet, 762 m. After negotiating two other root bridges and a modern wire- rope construction the Double Decker is reached. These wonderful examples of traditional bio- architecture deserve Unesco protection as World Heritage sites.  |
Nartiang Market. Mawsmai Village. Noncet Market. Lumsohpetbneng. Lumsohptbneng 2. Lumsohptbneng 3. |
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