Meghalaya's living root bridges hailed by architect Julia Watson as effective measure against flood

Guwahati: Julia Watson, an architect-cum-author of known repute, has recently praised the ingenuity behind the living root bridges in the 'land of clouds' Meghalaya.

"In her global exploration of Indigenous design systems, architect Julia Watson mentions about the #LivingRootBridges of #Meghalaya and how the 1500-year-old tradition of the Khasis is an #indigenous technology & a resilient solution for floods", Meghalaya's Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma wrote in a tweet.

Sangma also shared a video, in which Watson lauds the Khasi community from Meghalaya and explains the mechanism behind the living root bridges, which could take upto 50 years to grow. However, the could last for several centuries, Watson shares.

"This hill tribe has evolved living root bridges that are created by guiding and growing tree roots you can barely wrap your arms around through a carefully woven scaffolding", Watson says in the clip.

The short clip shared by Chief Minister Sangma is a snippet from an episode of Ted Talks featuring Julia Watson that can be viewed HERE. Citing these bridges as an example, Watson goes on to say that cultures are living with floods with thousands of years by "evolving these ancient technologies that allow them to work with the water."

Indigenous communities are pioneers of technologies that offer solutions to climate change, according to designer and environmentalist Julia Watson.

In her new book, LO–TEK Design by Radical Indigenism, Watson argues that tribal communities, seen by many as primitive, are highly advanced when it comes to creating systems in symbiosis with the natural world.

Her book, released in November of 2019, "explores thousands of years of human wisdom and ingenuity from 18 countries including Peru, the Philippines, Tanzania, Kenya, Iran, Iraq, India, and Indonesia."

Also Watch: Newsmakers: Sizal Agarwal, 112 Rank Holder, UPSC 2019 with Oineetom Ojah