Roads Authority opens five roads
The Roads Authority (RA) has opened five roads for public use following their rehabilitation after being damaged or washed away by incessant rains in mid-January.
RA said 14 other roads are yet to be reopened.
In an e-mailed response to a questionnaire on Tuesday, RA spokesperson Portia Kajanga said the five roads are the Golomoti-Monkey Bay section of the Masasa-Golomoti-Monkey Bay Road and the Zomba-Jali-Phalombe-Chitakale Road which was washed away at Havala Village 28.3 kilometres from Matawale going towards Phalombe or at 7.4 kilometres from Jali to Phalombe.
The other ones are Robert Mugabe Highway (Midima Road) where big vehicles were unable to pass through Thuchila Bridge at Nkando due to debris and damaged handrails, Muloza Bridge at Mulanje Border which was partially washed away and Thabwa-Masenjere-Fatima Road on the Shire River’s East Bank.
According to Kajanga, some of the 14 roads that have not been opened yet include Nkando-Mulomba-Phalombe Road, Fatima-Makhanga (S152) Road on East Bank, Makhanga- Bangula Road in Nsanje, Mwanza–Kunenekude Road at Pitala Trading Centre, 15 kilometres from Mwanza.
Another road that is still closed is the Liwonde-Mangochi Road at Changali where only light traffic is now allowed to pass, but heavy vehicles are advised to use the Golomoti–Monkey Bay Road if they are from the Central and Northern regions while those from the South are using the Bakili Muluzi Highway (Ntaja) road.
On the complexity of the works to be done on the roads yet to open, Kajanga said the works to execute on the affected roads vary according to the extent of damage caused.
The road damages caused inconvenience to transporters and business operators in the hospitality industry who said their business activities, which involve transportation mostly, were suppressed.
Chrissie Flao, executive director for Road Transport Operators Association (RTOA), told The Nation in an earlier interview that like all travellers, road transporters have also been affected as most roads in Malawi are not in good condition to warrant safety during travels in the rain season.
In an earlier interview, chairperson of Malawi Association for Women in Tourism and Hospitality Industry (MAWTH), Annie Fletcher, said people are afraid to travel during the rains as most roads and bridges that lead to the tourism and hospitality areas cannot be trusted while some roads are impassable as some of their sections or bridges have been washed away.
