Chapananga bridge intact, Minister Mia inspects corridor road project
Minister of Transport and Public Works Sidik Mia on Tuesday rushed to check on Chapananga Bridge across Mwanza River in Chikwawa after social media rumours were rife that heavy rains had washed it away.
However, the minister found that the bridge is intact, it has not been washed away contrary to social media rumours.
The bridge connects people of Chimwanjale and Chibisa wards in Senior Chief Chapananga and serves as a shortcut to Mwanza and Mozambique from Chikwawa.
The longest bridge in the country (180 metres) was constructed by Plem Construction Limited with funding from the Malawi Government in 2017.
Further the bridge has survived two rain falls and the Roads Authority is working to protect the bridge from persistent flooding and cyclones which could reduce its life span, contractors on the site have disclosed.
Engineers told the minister that a cyclone hit the bridge area in 2018 and as expected caused some movements of the banks and soil near the bridge, saying Bua Consultants and Roads Authority contracted the company to place 25,000 sandbags to protect the area from water hits.
He said the works are remedial works contracted only in September 2020 and are expected to be completed within next few days.
Mia pointed out that Chapananga bridge is of great importance both economically and socially.
After visiting the bridge, Mia also inspected the 47 kilometre Chikhwawa-Chapananga Road project which links the Lower Shire Valley, the hub of the Malawi’s sugar production, and Mwanza, the border district between Malawi and Mozambique.
The minister openly expressed dissatisfaction with the shoddy works on the road.
He asked the constructor to improve so that at the end, there should be a beautiful long-lasting road.
The the road project, people of Chikhwawa and Mwanza districts will experience better travel and be able to take their agriculture produce to Blantyre and other towns and in turn bring in goods from other areas, thereby improving their lives.
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I have very serious problems with the calibre of road contractors being engaged. Yesterday 08/12/20 the new duel carriageway which has holes was pached, by today 09/12/20 the patches has fallen apart. Why are our taxes being wasted on such incompetence. The next problem is if this is tolerated, then everyone become party to such incompetence. Stop engaging these incompetent contractors. Are our roads being constructed by competent, qualified officers? Is there anyone left at the National Roads Authority? Why is the quality of our roads substandard, to the extent that they develop holes, less than a year after having… Read more »
The minister seems to be speaking with a fork tongue. The bridge is intact yet parts of the road have shoddy workmanship. What is it that we have to hear? Visible cracks appear in the back ground of the picture. For a road that has been there for less than five years consulting engineers should be taken to task. Why do we treat serious issues with kid gloves. What is this company giving to our ministers that makes them mute on matters as important as this one
kufunsa chi nyezi mmbafa Really??
Mr. Minister pls open your eyes and not your pocket.
The state of the bridge should be engraved in the image of what the Tonse Alliance will look like come 2024. It will be in taters,pieces & cracks everywhere. Do not discount DPP yet. They can still rope in Chilima to be the torch bearer come 2024. It might seem impossible but don’t count that out . The same 50+1 that kicked DPP out might be the only way back in through the back door. This is my analysis I am in no way a biased person for either MCP,UTM or DPP. I just say it as I see it.… Read more »
I can see a crack right there next to the ministers boots, eetu on social media we call that crack ‘washed away’.
This reminds me of the shoddy work at Ntayamoyo at Chiromo. In 2013 and 2014! Mapwiya will write again this week. Malawians are……..[ say, engineers are……..]
Come on minister Mia. Looking at the photos gives me a picture of shoddy workmanship.The approaches to the bridge have evident cracks which is due failure of both the base and sub base as the contractor did not compact them.Therefore social media was right to say the bridge has been washed away as you can not have abridge without proper approaches. I doubt if the abutments are intact.This is a design flaw by the engineers .Punish them please as the law will support you.
Are you serious ? What type of Engineering is this ? Sand bags in a flood plain ? Are they protecting a house or embankment fill ? Please let us be realistic..waste of money. You can not tame a flood plain like that…the bridge is narrow and the embankments are in the path of water..solution is to provide relief culverts in the embankments, many of them with hydraulically effective sectional areas to pass the flood..Engineers please let us not put money first, the contractor has gone smiling to the bank
Eeee I did not understand anything.
The longest bridge in Malawi is Kamuzu bridge in Salima across the Linthipe river is 275m meters long. Other bridges which are longer than Chapananga bridge include: Mangochi bridge is 220m; Luweya bridge in Nkhata Bay is 198m; Kamuzu bridge in Chikwawa is195m and Bua bridge in Nkhotakota is 180m just like Chapanonga. Please refuse to be misinformed!
Thank you for this update. Osati izi zaubongo waukadeti
Yes