Maravi

Private engineer petitions Vice-President over dam

Private engineer petitions Vice-President over dam
Written by Henry Chibulu in Mazabuka
Saturday, July 11, 2009 3:38:48 PM

A private engineer in Mazabuka has petitioned the office of the Vice President to investigate why management at Cotton Development Trust (CDT) approved the construction of a dam, 20 metres away from the Railway Systems of Zambia rail line.

Royal Mucho Enterprise managing director, Joseph Mubanga, yesterday said a disaster was looming because the bursting of the dam could lead to the collapse of the railway bridge and paralyse the transport sector.

He observed that the site for the dam was wrong and should be redesigned to protect people’s lives and the railway infrastructure.

Mubanga said in the event of a storm, the railway bridge risked being swept away by the K900 million dam co-funded by the Zambian government and the World Bank because it had equally been built a kilometre away from another bridge at the confluence of Magoye and Ngwezi rivers.

He charged that it was a serious technical error by the consultants of the project to endorse the construction of the dam, a kilometre apart.

Mubanga warned that such advice should have taken into consideration the environmental implications.

Mazabuka district commissioner, Tyson Hamaamba, confirmed receiving the petition but said management at CDT had also defended its decision.

Hamaamba said consultants had advised that the environmental implications of the project had been taken into consideration before commencing the construction of the dam.

Labels: DAMS, INFRASTRUCTURE, JOSEPH MUBANGA, MAZABUKA DISTRICT, TYSON HAMAAMBA

posted by MrK @ 2:41 PM