Arua City, District begin construction work on death trap bridges
A man attempts to cross the Enyau bridge at Awindiri on Thursday morning where it has been in dilapidated state for years. PHOTO | CLEMENT ALUMA.
What you need to know:
- The two bridges are all on the Enyau River, one at Awindiri connecting Ezovaand Olumini communities while the other at Odia Nyadri near Nile High School.
Arua District and City leaders have handed over two construction sites to a company to begin the construction of bridges worth Shs5.6 billion.
The two bridges are all on the Enyau River, one at Awindiri connecting Ezovaand Olumini communities while the other at Odia Nyadri near Nile High School.
The money for the bridges had been returned to the treasury for three consecutive financial years due to design concerns. As a result, some locals crossing the bridge have sustained severe injuries after falling off from the bridges.
Two weeks ago, the route which connects the area via the said bridges was abandoned for about two days following heavy rains that flooded them making it impassable for vehicles and pedestrians.
“The cost of doing business became very high for locals here because people were using the longer route. We were planning to demonstrate over this bridge and road because people are paying taxes every time and they do not see the value,” Ms Jane Japyem, the LC1 chairperson of Ezova cell said.
She said some landlords in the area lost many tenants as a result of the poor state of the bridge and the road while lodges in the area no longer receive visitors.
“We shall closely monitor this project because we want quality work and a bridge that can last for many years,” she said on Wednesday.
Mr Gino Bakole, another resident, said: “All the food we get from Vurra and Congo passes through this bridge. This is why it is very important to us and when it is done, we should use it to continue tapping the wealth from Congo.”
The district engineer Mr William Tiyo Odaa cautioned the locals against theft of construction materials from the site as it will derail the project.
“If you steal materials, it will slow the work yet we need these bridges worked on so that it can save your lives,” he said.
Mr Edward Muyingo, the technical director at Niems Establishment, contracted to undertake the works, said they would recruit 70 per cent of labourers among the communities but cautioned them against laziness.
The construction work is expected to take eight months and is funded by the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructural Development (USMID) from World Bank.
