Government has strongly advised Local contractors in Luapula Province to involve qualified engineers if they are to develop quality works resilient to climate change.
Provincial Minister Nickson Chilangwa observes that the failure to consult engineers is a major factor to shoddy works thereby making infrastructure susceptible especially during heavy storms.
ZANIS reports that Mr. Chilangwa was speaking when he visited St. Mary’s Secondary School where heavy rains have left trail of destruction.
‘ Government is incurring unnecessary expenditures on destroyed infrastructure due to poor workmanship, “ he said.
Accompanied by Luapula Province Permanent Secretary Charles Mushota, Mr. Chilangwa says the damage caused by the rains to the school infrastructure can partially be attributed to poor workmanship.
He explained that climate change is imposing new pressures on public infrastructure hence the need to engage engineers at every stage of construction.
And Mr. Chilangwa has revealed that government has already taken interventions to avert any danger of the disruption of learning at the institution.
And Mr. Mushota has directed engineers responsible for public infrastructure in the Province to keep a check on old infrastructure such as schools, bridges among others to avoid disasters.
Mr. Mushota warned that he will not accept poor workmanship by contractors when awarded contracts.
Meanwhile, School Head-teacher Florence Musawa of the children’s continued learning despite the destruction to some infrastructure.
Sr. Masuwa has allayed fears in the area that learning will be disrupted at the institution.
My assumption is that qualified human resource is part of the criteria for awarding a contract, and that should include engineers relevant to that field/contract.
These are things govt should enact as law rather than just ‘encourage contractors’
Khumbulani Kachamba what is the minister telling us now…oh no…
Government ought to ensure that one of the requirements to get a construction contract is to have a registered engineer in the contractor’s proposed project team. But unfortunately we have chipantepante way of doing things and then we get ‘surprised’ when things fall apart!
This means the locals engaged as contractors don’t qualify to be such, hence the call for them indulge qualified engineers.
A proper local contractor should already know he needs to engage experts for public projects.
That’s on point, Honorable Minister
They keep singing same ol’ song on Local contractors while they’re busy behind engaging Chinese and Indians whom they can get huge kickbacks.
Can I get this right! How does the govt give contracts to people who aren’t qualified and you advise the same people not qualified to engage qualified engineers so, why can’t the govt give such contracts to qualified engineers at once…why should it bend that way… How do these unqualified groupings have access to contracts when they have no idea of the jobs to be undertaken
Please tell them if they do not do quality work give the contracts to the Chinese. We need to jack up our work ethics and improve our quality of work if we need to tell Govt that they should give us the locals the contracts.
The country needs manufacturing industries, you are concentrating on roads while everything is collapsing around you ?
If all the roads commissioned so far were manufacturing industries, zambia would be competing with South Africa.,……
What type of foolish advice is this? This is standard …that’s because you are giving inflated Engineering works contracts to grade 5 cadres.
What type of foooolish advice is this? This is standard …that’s because you are giving inflated Engineering works contracts to grade 5 with zero track record.
My companies only engage Zambian based nationals for expert advice. Last time this country tried to engage a diasporan look what happened with Clive chirwa. The man thought he was some God all because he lived abroad. He expected us to bend over for him. Instead we showed him that Zambia is bigger than one useless diasporan