Sinazongwe District in Southern Province has been cut off from the rest of the country following heavy rains that have extensively damaged the Batoka-Maamba road which links the district to Choma.
The road has been cut off completely at Muziyo, about 37 kilometers from Batoka where a deep gulley has been created by fast running water from the hills.
As a result scores of people and motor vehicles travelling to and from Sinazongwe are stranded on either side of the road.
Both Choma District Commissioners Mungoni Simulilika and his Sinazongwe counter-part Laiven Apuleni confirmed the development to ZANIS in Choma this morning and described the situation a disaster that must be treated as an emergency.
The two DCs have appealed to the Road Development Agency (RDA) to quickly mobilise resources to put up a temporal bridge to allow light vehicles and people to pass.
Mr Simulilika who rushed to the area this morning said preliminary assessments are that the gulley is about ten (10) metres wide and five metres deep.
Mr Simulilika who also disclosed that a portion of the road that has been cut off is in Choma district said hundreds of motor vehicles including trucks hauling coal are marooned on either side of the road.
He has also implored RDA management to engage a reputable contractor to avoid shortcomings that were encountered with the last contractor, GM International, whose contract was later terminated because of shoddy work.
He said there is need for RDA to also carry out regular inspection on the Batoka-Maamba road where a spot check this morning revealed that there some other weak spots that might collapse if the heavy rains being experienced in the area persist.
Meanwhile, Sinazongwe District Commissioner Laiven Apuleni says the situation is a big problem for the people in the district as they rely on Choma for goods and services.
He told ZANIS that it will be difficult to handle emergencies following the development.
Meanwhile, -Siavonga Township has been cut off from the rest of the country following the complete collapse of two portions of Lusitu Bridge.
Lusitu Bridge which is situated along Siavonga – Chirundu road was damaged and divided into two parts this morning around 06:00 hours following heavy rains that flooded Lusitu River.
And several motorists and passengers that were either travelling to Siavonga from Lusaka or vice versa are stranded in Lusitu area as vehicles and people cannot cross over.
Lusitu ward councillor Christopher Kiwani told ZANIS in Lusitu that apart from heavy rains damaging the bridge, the deluge has also washed away maize plants in surrounding areas.
Mr. Kiwani disclosed that the Lusitu River whose water flows from Chikankata in Mazabuka leading to the lower Zambezi River got flooded in the early hours of today resulting into water flowing over the bridge washing away poles holding the bridge.
And District Commissioner Emily Striedl who led a team of members from the District Disaster management team to the scene appealed to all those planning to travel to Siavonga not to do so because they will have no access.
Mrs Striedl however assured that her office has already contacted relevant authorities that are supposed to repair the bridge.
