Transport Minister Feston Kaupa has attributed some of the recent damage to roads across the country to rapid population growth.
He has also faulted environmental degradation.
Briefing reporters in Lilongwe on Saturday night while providing an update on repair works to damaged bridges on the M1, M5 and M18 national roads following last week’s heavy rains, Kaupa said some the destruction being experienced was a direct result of long-standing environmental damage.
“We, as a country, all have got to agree that there’s a lot of pressure on our land because of the population increase that our country has experienced. In which case, sometimes, these are matters that we don’t address, but population increase causes pressure on the environment and pressure on the environment causes people to go and do farming on places which are not appropriate for farming and, therefore, causing damage to the environment,” Kaupa said.
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The minister said his ministry would strengthen collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Environmental Affairs, local councils and other stakeholders to address the root causes of the problem.
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“It is saddening sometimes when we see people doing sandy mining along the roads,” he said.
Kaupa told reporters that traffic movement has been restored at Mpasadzi and Nkhamenya on the M1 Road in Kasungu following the installation of temporary platforms at the affected sites.
He said the measures had enabled vehicles to resume route usage after recent disruptions caused by rising water levels.
Kaupa said water levels overtopped the temporary diversion at Mpasadzi, briefly cutting off access on Friday.
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He said emergency repair works were immediately undertaken.
Kaupa said the Roads Authority had introduced routine daily maintenance works between 11:00 hours and 13:00 hours to ensure the sustainability of the temporary access.
The minister further said the Ministry of Transport, through the Roads Authority, has begun mobilising Bailey bridge components and related materials for the construction of semi-permanent access structures, with the Malawi Defence Force actively involved in the process.
Kaupa also said Unik Construction and China Jiangxi Construction had been deployed to work on a diversion that was capable of accommodating all road, a move he said would further ease movement along the key corridor.
On the M5 Road, which sustained damage to seven bridges, Kaupa said temporary works had already enabled small vehicles to cross between Salima and Nkhotakota, and that, by Monday, all classes of vehicles are expected to be able to use the stretch.
He added that the Nkhotakota-Dwangwa section is projected to be fully accessible by mid-week.
Roads Authority Chief Executive Officer Amiel Champiti said it was difficult to determine when final repair works would be completed but noted that the most important development was that traffic had started moving on some of the affected roads.
Last week, President Peter Mutharika directed the Ministry of Transport and the Roads Authority to inspect bridges on major roads nationwide amid the devastating effects of the rainy season.
In a statement, Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet Justin Saidi said the move was intended to ensure that road networks were in good condition and safe for travellers.
He further reaffirmed the government’s commitment to swiftly restoring damaged sections in order to minimise potential economic disruptions.
