Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
President Edgar Lungu has sent a team of four ministers to Lundazi District, Eastern Province to go and access the damage caused by the washed away Msuzi culvert.
The Ministers who have since inspected the culvert are Housing and Infrastructure Development’s Ronald Chitotela, Presidential Affairs Minister Freedom Sikazwe, Minister in Vice President’s Office Sylvia Chalikosa and Eastern Province Minister Makebi Zulu.
Housing and Infrastructure Development Minister Ronald Chitotela says the road development agency will in the next seven days put up a temporal bridge at the Msuzi culvert on the Chipata -Lundazi which has been washed away by heavy rains to allow movements of motorists.
The culvert which is about 6 kilometers from Lundazi Boma on the Chipata – Lundazi road was washed away on Friday 21st December 2018 cutting off the road link between Chipata and Lundazi.
Mr. Chitotela says the construction of a temporal bridge which will be done by RDA- in conjunction with the Zambia national service and Zambia Army will begin in the next 7 days.
He says he has confidence in the RDA that they will quickly mount the temporal bridge therefore calling on motorists from Chipata to use a temporal bypass road through Zimwanda to access lundazi.
Meanwhile Presidential Affairs Minister Freedom Sikazwe has directed the RDA to quickly come up with a budget for the construction of the temporal bridge.
Mr. Sikazwe says the bridge should be constructed in the shortest possible time so that the distribution of farming inputs to the district is not disturbed.
And minister in vice president’s office Sylvia Chalikosa says the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) will engage the ministry of finance to ensure that the funds are released soon.
And eastern province minister Makebi Zulu has appealed for calm from the people of lundazi because government is working round the clock to normalize the movement of people.
Meanwhile RDA Chief Executive Officer Eng Elias Mwape said his engineers are determined to ensure that the temporal bridge is down and all what the ministers have asked for will be delivered.