By Vincent Gunde
The Roads Authority (RA) conducted stakeholders’ sensitization meetings with the District executive committee (Dec) and community members in Dowa on the 21 Kilometers Chimwaza-Nambuma Road construction project.
The Roads Authority has contracted China Civil Engineering Contractors Company (CCECC) to upgrade the road to bitumen or tarmac and it is expected that a large number of people close to the road will be employed.
The contractor for the road project is on the ground establishing campsite around Kalonga trading centre on the Chimwaza-Nambuma road and will employ at least 40 percent of the total workforce preferable to be women.
Presenting the road project, Roads Authority’s Social Planning Officer Boston Kadzamila, said currently, the road is narrow making it difficult and unsafe mostly to the road users, will have a corridor of 36 meters thus 18 meters on each side from the centre line.
Kadzamila said the road project will improve reduction in travel time, quality of life for both road users and people living adjacent to the upgraded road and it will be more productive to the road users along Chimwaza-Nambuma road.
He said there will be knowledge transfer from the contractor to the local community and civil engineering sector, no disease associated with dust, clean environment clothes and household items and creating a desirable working environment for workers at different cadres.
The officer said the road project has negative impacts such as dust pollution, land degradation due to borrow pits/ quarry sites, noise pollution, loss of business structures, loss of vegetation and HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), waterborne and airborne diseases.
“The project has mitigation measures such as dust suppression with water regularly, provision of heavy-duty masks to the workers, distribution of condoms in strategic places those accessed by workers easily and regularly conduct of sensitization meetings on HIV/AIDS, STIs,” said Kadzamira.
He said stakeholders play a crucial role in the successful implementation of the project saying the Roads Authority is expecting full support from the council and other key stakeholders e.g. facilitation on land acquisition for borrow pits/quarry sites, and grievance redress, among others.
Kadzamira appealed to the Dec members to cooperate, sensitize the community along the Chimwaza-Nambuma road to enhance project ownership and sustainability at all levels that construction is very expensive.
In his remarks, Acting Chief Planning Officer for Dowa District Council Yusuf Laki, welcomed the road construction project in the district saying the project will provide opportunities to address community concerns.
Laki assured the Roads Authority that the council will ensure that there is monitoring of the road project for transparency, participation and accountability in project planning, implementation and close out stages.
The Malawi Government through the Roads Authority (RA) will implement the Chimwaza-Nambuma road project for a period of 18 months with a total budget of MK18,315,607,746.81.
