Sunday, November 10, 2024
Development

Poor road construction costs taxpayers money

The damaged bridge

BY STEVE MALOYA 

Part of the 25 kilometer Nsanje-Marka road section currently being constructed by a Chinese Contractor, China Railway- 20 (CR-20, to the tune of K11 billion, has been damaged by flood water, a development that has raised eye brows among the citizens in the district who think this is a result of poor workmanship.

Nsanje Civil Society Organization Chairperson, Mike Dansa, says they are vindicated on their concerns of poor workmanship, as they petitioned authorities on the same arguing some of the bridges would not withstand the district’s floods.

However, Roads Authority Spokesperson, Portia Kajanga, assured Malawians when the road is completed, “it will be a strong road.”

Kajanga said much of the works on the project have already been completed.

She said: “We still have to work on the protection works, drainage, sign posts and markings that are supposed to be done on the road before the project is handed over to us in the month end of May, 2022.”

According to Kajanga, this is normally experienced in Nsanje and Chikwawa districts because rivers tend to change courses when they swell.

“This is what happened, instead of going under the bridge, the water hit the embarkment damaging it in the process,” she added.

During the rainy season, most roads in Malawi become damaged, a development which renders them impassable; causing numerous road accidents in the process.

 

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