Mpika/Nabwalya road construction starts

  Mpika/Nabwalya road construction starts

Mpika, September 16, 2014, ZANIS…Construction of the long awaited Mpika Nabwalya road in Muchinga Province has commenced.

Both Muchinga Minister Gerry Chanda and Mpika District Commissioner Catherine Chileshe have confirmed the development in separate interviews with the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Mpika today.

Colonel Chanda said Government has engaged China Henani to construct the 118 kilo meter road network at a cost of K400 million which will take a complete new route away from the existing road so as to fully benefit the majority of the local settlers in the area.

Colonel Chanda said that construction of the Mpika / Nabwalya road which will connect Muchinga to the Eastern Province will provide a shortest route to Lundazi and Chipata and will take about two and half years to be completed.

He said that construction of the Mpika / Nabwalya Road once completed will give great relief to the local people who spend over 4 days walking on foot to access various services from the boma.

The Provincial Minister who has just returned from a familiarization tour of Nabwalya chiefdom says the Mpika / Nabwalya Road will transform the chiefdom once completed and has since asked the contractor to ensure that works are completed within the stipulated time frame.

And Mpika District Commissioner Catherine Chileshe says the construction of the Mpika / Nabwalya Road is a dream come true for the people of Nabwalya chiefdom and other surrounding areas.

Ms. Chileshe said the people of Nabwalya will remain indebted to President Michael Sata for embarking on the construction of the Mpika / Nabwalya Road which she said will complete improve the lives of the local people once completed.

Nabwalya residents have also commended the Government for embarking on the construction of the Mpika / Nabwalya Road saying they never though that such a project would ever take off.

Seleti Bwalya told ZANIS that currently they spend over four days to access health services from Chilonga Mission Hospital in Mpika located over 100 km from their village in Nabwalya chiefdom.

And Adrian Mwale said criminal cases are never reported to the boma during the rain season because it becomes difficult even for people to walk from Nabwalya to Mpika.

Mwale said many lives have been lost in the past as people attempted to cross flodded streams in a bid to access services from Mpika during the rain season adding that construction of the Mpika Nabwalya Road would greatly transform their lives once completed.

Construction of the Mpika /Nabwalya road is part of the Link Zambia 8000 Road Project under the Road Development Agency (RDA).