Earth movement damaged Luangwa-Feira Rd 

Sun, 19 Feb 2017 11:30:06 +0000

By Kalobwe Bwalya

THE movement of earth caused the damage to the Luangwa-Feira road, says Lusaka Province Minister Japhen Mwakalombe.

Speaking after touring part of the damaged Luangwa – Feira road on Friday, Mr Mwakalombe said it was Government’s role to ensure that people of Luangwa were not cut off from the rest of Zambia.

Mr Mwakalombe, however, thanked the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) for the quick response in acquiring four speed boats to ferry people to their destination.

Mr Mwakalombe said Government was concerned with the damaged road and it had since put in place short term measures by providing speed boats to assist with the movement of people.

He said it would take about 10 to 20 days for the contractor, who is China Geo engineering company, to construct a detour road so that the area would be accessible.

“We are happy that the contractor has already moved on site and the idea is to start moving part of the mountain which is on the crake so that they can make a proper slope,” said Mr Mwakalombe.

He said according to the information obtained from the engineers from RDA, the crake was about six metres which was on top of the mountain and it was a danger to the people and transporters, hence with the continued rains, the damage would become worse and life-threatening.

Mr Mwakalombe said the cause of the damage was still under study, but it is believed to have been caused by the movement of the mountain due to the heavy rains the area had witnessed recently.

Meanwhile, a team of experts from the Geological Survey Department in the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development is trying to ascertain the cause of the lateral movement of the earth which damaged a 300-metre stretch on the Luangwa-Feira Road.

The minister was accompanied by Lusaka province deputy permanent secretary Jospant Lombe, Rufunsa district commissioner Judith Chama, Laungwa Council chairperson Austin Bota, engineers from RDA , surveyors from Geological department and DMMU officers.