Communities in Machinjiri Township in Blantyre have threatened to ban motorists from using the only accessible road in the area following floods on Sunday, saying the road has been neglected by authorities for many years.
The road is a 3 kilometre bypass road that connects Chikapa and Mbwanda in Area 2.
On Sunday, raging waters swept a bridge at Area 10 on Lunzu River in Machinjiri as the commercial city received a heavy downpour that affected Chileka, Lunzu, Machinjiri and other parts.
The washing away of the bridge means people in Luwanda and surrounding areas such as Areas 1, 2, 3, 5, and 19, have to go around Magalasi road and then Limbe to access Makhetha, Khama, or Areas 7, 6 and 9 in Machinjiri.
Apart from that, another option is a bypass road which has now turned into the only road currently under use which according to one of the concerned residents in Area 6, Barnabas Komakoma, who is also the Community Chairperson, has been neglected for construction for over ten years.
In an interview with Malawi24, Komakoma said communities have been fixing the road using their own resources for the past 15 years, while authorities including the Blantyre City Council have been showing no interest to fix the road despite several calls.
“We have been engaging authorities to fix this road but they have been neglecting to do so and now the same rejected stone, has become a cornerstone and that is paining us. We want them to come and address this issue immediately,” said Komakoma.
Meanwhile, Blantyre City Council disaster officer, William Chimzinga has confirmed that one person has been found dead in Lunzu and two others are still missing after being swept away by the Sunday flooding water.
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