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OUR BRIDGE IS COMPLETE!

(EARTHQUAKE REPORT 6)

Dec 10, 2001

Dear Friends of the Kham Aid Foundation,

Some of you may remember a disastrous earthquake that took place on Feb 23 of this year, near the boundary between Yajiang and Jiulong Counties, in southeast Kham.

In response, I solicited emergency donations, which enabled us to send 3000 kilos of grain and a thousand pairs of shoes to people in the affected townships. The Chinese government sent tents, more food, and other things, however transportation of all relief was hindered by the difficulty of access to this remote and rugged area, a steep valley of the Yalong River. Loads had to be carried in on the backs of horses and yaks, using a trail that was narrow, damaged, and beset by falling rocks shaken loose during aftershocks from the unstable slopes above.

It was clear that much needed to be done to help the people rebuild their homes and lives, however it will continue to be difficult and costly to provide aid in the face of such transportation problems.

Investigation by Kham Aid Foundation field director Wu Bangfu showed that the most serious bottleneck to be the crossing of river at Egu township headquarters. Four townships are locked behind this barrier. In the past, villagers have constructed wooden bridges at the crossing, but these are inevitably washed away by monsoon floods in summer. Not only does the problem affect disaster relief and recovery efforts, but it has prevented people living in the region from marketing their goods outside, or obtaining vitally needed supplies.

In October, 2001, construction began on a stone arch bridge at Egu Township in Yajiang County. The bridge was designed by an engineer in Kangding who is a veteran of many similar projects in the region. The money came from a generous grant from the U.S. Government Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. Kham Aid Foundation's Wu Bangfu acted as executive director of this project, working with an independently hired engineer/overseer who monitored the performance of the contractor.

In early November, when the construction process was about half way done, the site was visited by Robert Armstrong of the United States Embassy in Beijing. Unfortunately, torrential summer rains had damaged the access road, which was to be widened by the county government to allow trucks and 4WD vehicles to enter. Thus, the bridge site is still not accessible to vehicles larger than a tuolaji tractor. Robert Armstrong sent the following account of his trip

"I would say it was just about the right degree of adventurousness. Except for about three spots where the road is very narrow, the road to Egu looks passable by jeep. I told them to work on those few spots, otherwise I'm not sure we'll be able to get [an inspection team] up there in December. Overnighting in the village was no problem. After walking 22 km, I think I could have slept anywhere! We took the tuolaji back, which saved about 2 1/2 hours.  In the village I awoke to a pig rooting through our garbage from the night before and a cow loitering in the courtyard. But there were no rodents. Just lots of gawking children who apparently had never seen a foreigner before. Also, the stars at night were spectacular!"

The sign unveiling ceremony.

On Dec 1, 2001, the last concrete was poured. One week later, the U.S. consulate in Chengdu sent a delegation, led by Consul General David Bleyle, to officially open the bridge.  A sign was unveiled at the site reading, in English, Chinese, and Tibetan:

This bridge was built with funds contributed by the United States Government Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance.

Now the people Egu township, and other formerly isolated townships further south, will be able to bring their goods to market, and get easier access to manufactured goods, education, and health care.  This will enable them to rebuild their homes and improve their economic situation.

News of the completed bridge was picked up by the Chinese site: www.chinanews.com.cn: Click here to see what they said (note: this document is in Chinese).

Thanks to Wu Bangfu for being the driving force behind this great program!

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