Lundazi Bridge in Eastern Province has been washed away following the continued flash floods being experienced in the Eastern part of Zambia, the Road Development Agency has announced.
Masuzyo Ndhlovu, the RDA Director Communications and Corporate Affairs says the unfortunate development was aggravated by multiple armco ring culverts that have been washed away as a result of excessive water pressure flowing from the upstream side of the structure due to heavy rains being received in the area.
Mr Nhlovu said the crossing point is located about 175 kilometres from Chipata town and is situated just as you enter the Central Business District of Lundazi.
He has urged road users to use the existing gravel feeder road branching off from the main Lundazi road at Km 159 to Zumwanda via Buleti to Lundazi town road as an alternative route.
Mr Nhdlovu said the RDA Emergency Response Team was dispatched yesterday to the site to administer immediate interventions to restore connectivity at the affected crossing point.
And the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit says it is saddened by the collapsing of the Lundazi-Chipata bridge following heavy rains being experienced in the area.
DMMU National Coordinator Chanda Kabwe said the unfortunate incident has led to Lundazi district being cut off from Chipata and the rest of the province.
Mr Kabwe has assured the residents of Lundazi that the Unit, working with Zambia Army and Ministry of Infrastructure will be on the ground today to assess the situation and ensure that a temporal bridge is quickly put up to allow the flow of traffic between the two districts.
He has urged the people of the two districts to remain calm as their plight is being looked into and will be resolved within the shortest period of time to prevent more calamities.
The Zambia Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rainfall in Eastern, Luapula, parts of Lusaka and Central provinces.
Mr Kabwe has also advised members of the public to quickly report all flood and other related emergencies to DMMU by calling the toll free number, 909.
Sorry mwasuzika.
Basuzgika banthu bakwithu.every year the same bridge the same story the gas been washed why ?
Has.sorry
Opposition must behind this.
That picture is a lie. The caption says the washed away bridge but what we can all see is a ditch or ridge in the road and no bridge. Where is the bridge LT is seeing?
iwe, it has been washed away. how do you see it. mist in the eyes.
Very sad. Unfortunately nature cannot be tamed. We just hope our friends in opposition will not capitalise on this. Kz
LT-Msuzi bridge has a temporal bridge and is about 5km from town. This is Lundazi bridge which is just a few metres from town. The bridge has a stretch of over 100m and the damage is somewhere at the edge of the river. It stretches towards the northern side of the picture and thus the way to town. Something must be done quickly cause some people come from town to work in areas across the bridge and vice versa.
PF , please build more durable infrastructure instead of touch n go workmanship.
yes its armco pipes its possible u cant see them on the picture as the pipise are somewhere in the bush, RDA has no capacity to VETO designs before construction
@ ba Dany, you are very correct. Why is that very old roads lyk Independence avenue & Leopards Hill road are still in relatively good shape while new ones have to be repatched every couple of yrs after spending millions ?. Potholes appear lyk mushrooms. Even simple humps are a challenge, one wonders what oversight the RDA inspectorate Dept carries out.