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Mozambique: EN1 may reopen on Wednesday – Noticias
2:16 CAT | 22 Mar 2022
Photo: Noticias
The road link between the districts of Nicoadala and Namacurra, in Zambézia province, interrupted last Saturday by the cutting of National Road Number One (EN1), may be restored tomorrow.
The cut prevents communication, by land, between the central regions, from Nicoadala to the north of Zambézia and the rest of the country.
The provincial delegate of the National Roads Administration in Zambézia (ANE), Jorge Govanhica, told ‘Notícias’ yesterday that a contractor was already working on restoring circulation, initially for light vehicles only.
Govanhica explained that the work carried out yesterday consisted of depositing rachão, a type of large stone, the construction of a cushion, and laying of concrete pipes.
The cause of the interruption was floodwater washing out the bridge over the Iledje River.
The contractor in charge of repairing the damage is carrying out preliminary work, including the mobilisation of soil and stone and assessing the type of intervention necessary.
The Secretary of State in Zambézia province, Judith Mussácula, was rescued by air on Sunday afternoon, after being isolated on Saturday in the Dogodiua area, between Nicoadala and Namacurra.
By late yesterday afternoon, people were already able to cross the breach on foot, following work by the company repairing the road.
Many vehicles transporting passengers and goods are waiting in Nicoadala and Namacurra for the road to be reopened so that they can continue their journeys.
Information in the possession of ‘Notícias’ indicates that in the district headquarters of Nicoadala alone there are more than 100 vehicles, destined for the northern regions of Zambézia and the rest of the country, which are now immobilised and accumulating losses.
The same scenario repeats in the district headquarters of Namacurra and in the city of Mocuba, where motorists are also awaiting information about the repair of the road.
Local police authorities have banned all movement of vehicles until the situation improves, although rain continues to fall.
Cut roads and flooding mean it is no longer possible to reach any administrative post or locality from the district headquarters village of Namacurra. There are also reports of the residences being destroyed.
The severing of the Mocuba-Lugela road has affected the more than 30,000 people living in the village, who now have no access to services in Mocuba, including commerce.
Information from Pebane indicates that the rain that started to fall on Friday has already displaced more than 100 families and cut road connections between localities.
The delegate of the Zambézia National Roads Administration, Jorge Govanhica, says that the road sector contingency plan needs to be revised to take account of new circumstances.
According to Govanhica, rehabilitation, maintenance and reconstruction of road infrastructure requires a budget of more than 500 million meticais, but the magnitude of the damage caused by Tropical Cyclone Gombe has worsened the situation, which now constitutes a huge challenge for the government.
Source: Noticias
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