Martin Rushmere
THE MAIN road over the Pungwe marshes outside Beira on the Zimbabwe route has been closed
by the Mozambique government because of heavy rains. Flood waters of the Pungwe river have lapped over a 15 km section of the road, 72 km from Beira.
The road has become extremely dangerous along that stretch, said a transport operator.
The railway line is still in operation, but CFM and NRZ are watching the situation closely as the water level beneath the Pungwe rail bridge is rising daily.
Flooding of the road, rebuilt less than two years ago, has shown that the planners were seriously wrong in their calculations, according to an international transport consultant who has long experience in Mozambique.
The Italian contractors and the funders, the European Union, refused to listen to advice that the road had to be much higher, said the consultant.
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