Paradise for potholes
Residents expressed their disappointment over the council not being able to maintain the town's roads.
The Katima Mulilo town council has promised to rehabilitate a number of severely damaged roads at the town, but cannot say when this will happen.
This is after some residents expressed their disappointment over the council not being able to maintain the town's roads, which they say damage their vehicles and make it difficult for motorists to manoeuvre.
A concerned resident told Namibian Sun at the weekend that the situation had worsened due to the recent rainfall. He said humongous potholes characterise the town's roads, especially those used more frequently by motorists, adding that motorists are forced to drive in the opposite lane.
“Our roads are in a bad state. We are now in the middle of the rainy season and it is becoming worse. The Katima Mulilo town council must do something about this issue because it is getting worse by the day,” he said.
When contacted for comment, town council CEO Rafael Liswaniso said the council is well-aware of the situation and will address it.
Liswaniso explained the roads in question were poorly constructed a few years ago, saying the base of the roads was not strong enough to hold the bitumen, which resulted in them being damaged.
Instead of patching the potholed roads, the council will rehabilitate them to proper bitumen standard.
“The plan of council is that to remove the entire road; you cannot patch the potholes, they are too big. The base was not strong enough to hold the bitumen. “We cannot waste money on patching such potholes. We are patching roads where necessary. The process started a long time ago,” Liswaniso said. When asked when the roads would be rehabilitated, Liswaniso said they were still in the planning process and no timeframe had been attached to the project. He explained that the economic headwinds had not only affected central government, but also local authorities and this was why all challenges cannot be addressed at once.
KENYA KAMBOWE
This is after some residents expressed their disappointment over the council not being able to maintain the town's roads, which they say damage their vehicles and make it difficult for motorists to manoeuvre.
A concerned resident told Namibian Sun at the weekend that the situation had worsened due to the recent rainfall. He said humongous potholes characterise the town's roads, especially those used more frequently by motorists, adding that motorists are forced to drive in the opposite lane.
“Our roads are in a bad state. We are now in the middle of the rainy season and it is becoming worse. The Katima Mulilo town council must do something about this issue because it is getting worse by the day,” he said.
When contacted for comment, town council CEO Rafael Liswaniso said the council is well-aware of the situation and will address it.
Liswaniso explained the roads in question were poorly constructed a few years ago, saying the base of the roads was not strong enough to hold the bitumen, which resulted in them being damaged.
Instead of patching the potholed roads, the council will rehabilitate them to proper bitumen standard.
“The plan of council is that to remove the entire road; you cannot patch the potholes, they are too big. The base was not strong enough to hold the bitumen. “We cannot waste money on patching such potholes. We are patching roads where necessary. The process started a long time ago,” Liswaniso said. When asked when the roads would be rehabilitated, Liswaniso said they were still in the planning process and no timeframe had been attached to the project. He explained that the economic headwinds had not only affected central government, but also local authorities and this was why all challenges cannot be addressed at once.
KENYA KAMBOWE
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article