Bridge Builders of Pelling


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Global population growth and urbanization have been accompanied by an increase in the number of people living in substandard housing and slum settlements. Such settlements and infrastructure are often in hazardous locations which are affordable or available to low-income households looking for proximity to cities. Outside of Pelling there were three road collapses the week we traveled there; being the first visitors to Pelling in over six months due to the monsoon, we were eagerly and hospitably welcomed. This bridge was constructed over the week we returned to Soreng, by the group of workers in the picture. Urban landslide risk is driven by interactions and feedbacks between human development activities and the physical environment. The development of unauthorized communities on landslide-prone slopes is a powerful driver in a cycle of landslide risk accumulation in developing countries. Planning control policies would typically aim to restrict development in potentially hazardous zones; for example, suggesting that no houses should be built on slopes that exceed 14 degrees. In reality, unauthorized settlements are often found on considerably steeper slopes. The most socio-economically vulnerable tend to live in the most landslide prone areas such as where this road once stood. Deforesting, excavating (cutting) and loading slopes, and changing slope drainage, further decrease slope stability. This is a particular issue in the humid tropics and communities like Pelling, where deep weather soil profiles are prone to rainfall-triggered landslides, particularly during the monsoons. Any climate changes inducing, or increasing the frequency, intensity or duration of triggering events, will inevitably exacerbate the situation. Available as 8 x 11 or 11 x 17 b & w photo on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Fine Art Inkjet Art Inkjet Paper, and each photograph is personally approved and hand-signed by me, the artist, dr. ralph goldman

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