Chronicle Editor
Midlands Bureau Chief
GOVERNMENT has started rehabilitating bridges and causeways which were destroyed by heavy rains in the Midlands resulting in some districts being cut off from the rest of the province.
Many roads and bridges across the province have been destroyed by floods following incessant rains that have been pounding the province since January.
Midlands provincial roads engineer, Engineer Denis Mupfurira said the rehabilitation of roads was being done in phases starting with Mberengwa and two Gokwe Districts (North and South) where some emergency works were needed.
Eng Mupfurira said the Government was also working on creating detours in areas where bridges were washed away so as to allow temporary passage of traffic while proper construction of the bridges was underway.
“We have started the rehabilitation programme which is running in phases. In the first which is the current phase, we are addressing emergency work such as washaways and creating detours to allow traffic passage while the construction of the bridge is underway,” he said.
Eng Mupfurira said the road network across the province was in very bad condition but there were some emergencies which needed to be addressed.
“We have two Gokwe districts which were badly affected, bridges washed away and resulting in the district being cut off from the rest of the province. In Gokwe, we have a number of bridges and causeways which were damaged and we are on the ground repairing them so that the district can be accessible,” he said.
Eng Mupfurira said the ministry was also working on the rehabilitation of the Shurugwi-Mhandamabwe road which was badly damaged with traffic currently using the longer route to access Masvingo.
Flooding undercut part of the road at the Musavedzi River Bridge leaving it hanging precariously posing danger to humans and vehicles using it.
“These are the emergencies which we are attending to and after that we will then concentrate on other feeder roads which were also damaged,” he said.
Eng Mupfurira said the Government was still quantifying the state of damage throughout the province so as to come up with an appropriate budget for roads repair.
“For now, we are dealing with emergency work but we are quantifying the state of damage so that we can come up with a proper budget of what is needed for the whole province,” he said.
Shurugwi South legislator Cde Edmund Mukaratigwa said Musavedzi River Bridge is now being worked on and mobilisation for its construction by the Ministry of Transport is underway.
“The Provincial Engineer has already recruited 30 male and 10 female road construction workers for the works so the Government has responded positively to the plight of travelers, business people and men, females and children whose livelihoods and development are anchored on the facilitation of that road infrastructure,” he said.
Cde Mukaratigwa said due to the rains it is very risky for heavy trucks to pass through the bridge and going through Zvishavane remains a viable option.
Cabinet recently approved a US$ 400 million Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme after all roads were declared a State of Disaster.
Online Reporter