Post-floods hurdles that disconnected the country have eased following the fixing of a temporary bridge at Mpasadzi in Kasungu on Saturday to reconnect the M1, a key transport corridor for imports and exports.
Minister of Transport and Public Works Feston Kaupa told the media in Lilongwe on Saturday that roads that have been washed away by heavy rains from late December 2025 to early this year will soon reopen to both light and heavy-duty vehicles.
“At Mpasadzi, we have opened an alternative route and installed a temporary bridge. However, because it requires frequent maintenance, it will be closed daily from 11am to 1pm until permanent works are completed,” he said.
from 11am to 1pm. | Mana
Kaupa said several government agencies, including Malawi Defence Force (MDF) and Malawi Police Service worked throughout the festive season to restore connectivity.
“A number of government agencies sacrificed their holidays to ensure that travel resumes as soon as possible,” he said.
Kaupa said while major rehabilitation works are ongoing, alternative routes and temporary bridges have opened and are already in use.
Incessant rains last week damaged roads and bridges across the country, cutting off access in several key areas, including the Northern Region which was disconnected from the rest of the country for at least four days following cut-offs on the M1 between Kasungu and Mzimba districts as well as the M5, also known as the Lakeshore Road, between Nkhotakota and Nkhata Bay.
Both roads are gateways to Dar es Salaam Port in Tanzania, one of Malawi’s key ports for imports and exports.
The cut-off also disrupted delivery of relief food and trade besides the floods destroying homes, leaving thousands of households displaced.
Meanwhile, Roads Authority (RA) has attributed the continued damage to bridges across the country to delayed maintenance and effects of climate change, warning that many of the structures are old and require constant attention to remain safe and functional.
In an interview yesterday, RA chief executive officer Engineer Ammiel Champiti said several bridges that have recently been damaged are ageing structures that have not received consistent maintenance over the years.
He said that most bridges nationwide have underlying structural challenges which demand continuous upkeep, a process that has been hampered by limited resources and competing priorities.
“Our schedule for maintenance for the past three years has been very sporadic. We have largely been concentrating on emergencies, leaving out obvious visible problems which in some cases end up becoming a crisis,” said Champiti.
He cited the Mpasadzi Bridge, explaining that the structure has been in existence for close to 60 years.
Champiti also pointed to climate change as a major factor, saying increased rainfall intensity and flooding have placed additional strain on bridges that were not designed to withstand such extreme weather conditions.
He said repair works are progressing well on roads damaged last week, particularly the M1 section between Mphomwa and Nkhamenya in Kasungu and the M5 between Salima and Dwangwa in Nkhotakota.
The Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) said in a statement last week that disasters due to incessant rains affected 7 205 households last week in 13 councils, representing approximately 32 422 people.
