Roads Authority reopens closed roads
Roads Authority (RA) has stepped up efforts to recover from the impact of Tropical Storm Gombe by rehabilitating most of the key roads that were cut off.
RA spokesperson Portia Kajanga in an interview on Wednesday said the affected roads such as the Chikwawa-Nchalo-Bangula Road, which was cut off at Bereu Trading Centre in Chikwawa and the Zomba-Jali-Phalombe-Chitakale Road have been re-opened to traffic.
She said: “At Jali, motorists were using one lane and as of 9:30pm on Wednesday, the road had been rehabilitated and both lanes were functional.
“While at Bereu, on Monday we opened one lane and vehicles were passing. On Wednesday, we had completed the rehabilitation work on the second lane. By close of business, the works were complete.”
Kajanga said the rehabilitation of the roads that were affected by heavy rains and floods is only temporary. She said the authority will rework on the roads in April after the rainy season.
Chikwawa district commissioner (DC) Ali Phiri confirmed that the Chikwawa-Nchalo-Bangula Road has been reopened, saying motorists have been using it since Monday evening.
The Chikhwawa–Nchalo–Bangula road forms an important link between the Shire Valley and the rest of the country. It is also key because it is the transport route for sugar from the Illovo Sugar Company in Nchalo.
Phiri said the Tropical Storm Gombe had not affected the district much as only a few people were displaced and have been sent to the existing camps.
He said: “The road to Nchalo was not passable for only a day, but since Monday evening, motorists have been using one lane.”
However, Nsanje DC Medson Matchaya said yesterday heavy goods trucks are still facing challenges to reach Nsanje District with relief items.
He said this is due to a bridge on the road at Sorjin in the district which was damaged.
“One of the bridges at Sorjin has been damaged and only small family vehicles are able to pass through the bridge,” he said.
So far, 15 districts have been heavily affected by floods which were influenced by three tropical storms Ana, Dumako and Gombe.
The storms have affected over 900 000 people, destroyed school blocks and washed away learning materials and affected learning with some schools, especially in the Shire Valley forced to conduct lessons outdoors or in the shade of trees.
In Zomba, where the floods also caused some damage, the district information officer Solister Mogha said two people have been reported dead.
The deaths, brings the total number of people killed so far by Gombe to 13 after another death of the Department of Forestry assistant forestry officer Gerald Kamanga was reported on Monday.
