Dam Bridges

Look--under the car. It's a dam. No, it's a bridge. No, it's a dam bridge. On the road to Tera there are five places in the last 50 km where the road crosses a bridge. But it isn't simply a bridge. As you can see in the photo, the water does pass under the road, but the road is constructed high above where the water flows. So the bridge also dams up the water and creates a small pond next to the road. Only in one of the dams does the water remain all year round. But in the other 4, the water lasts 4-6 months after the rainy season has ended. That means that the people in these villages have water in which to wash and water plants and animals for 7-9 months of the year. It helps to preserve surface water in a land that is short on this natural resource.

Since the construction of the paved road to Tera in 1997, we have bounced over these "dam bridges" (my affectionate term) many times. They signalled that we were getting near to Tera and home. When you come to the bridge, the road actually dips down onto the bridge. It's like the opposite of a speed bump. You wouldn't know it, but as you cross the bridge, there are actually conduits underneath which channel water under the road and over the dam. From the vehicle it looks more like a dam than a bridge. I didn't find pictures of one of the dams. I'll have to take one and put it on another blog.