OVER E21M TO FIX MATSAPHA TRAFFIC CIRCLE DRAINAGE SYSTEM

MANZINI - Government is working around the clock to make the flooding at Matsapha Traffic Circle a thing of the past.

This is because government has pumped in E21 121 902.96 to upgrade the drainage system at the traffic circle and Roots Civils, which had been tasked to carry out the project, has already started earthworks. This is according to the Chief Road Engineer in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Vincent Dlamini, who added that the project created at least 28 job opportunities. He said there were four skilled labours, 12 non-skilled labourers, four safety officers and eight operators.

Worth noting is that previously, the Principal Secretary (PS) Thulani Mkhaliphi had announced that due to the flooding of the traffic circle, a contractor, Roots Civils (Pty) Ltd had already been engaged by the ministry to undertake drainage improvements of this section of the road. The PS said the works on site were earmarked to run until towards the end of June 2022, if the weather permits. Mkhaliphi added that the remedial works to be done by Roots Civils include the replacement of the existing culverts with bigger sized ones that would improve the drainage capacity.

He said the construction company would also patch potholes along MR31 Public Road (Ndlunganye to Matsapha Airport). Again, he said they would address the road failures near police staff houses, Free Evangelical Church and Flying Club (along the MR31 Public Road). On another note, the PS stated that persistent flooding of the Matsapha Traffic Circle was caused by the increasing number of unplanned developments in close proximity to the road, some of which were constructed on natural water channels, which then divert water into the public road. He said the current drainage system at the traffic circle was not designed to cater for all these additional developments. Furthermore, Mkhaliphi said there was water flow from as far as Kwaluseni, along the D38 Public Road (e-Langeni/Matsapha), MR23 Public Road  (University of Eswatini Kwaluseni Campus/Matsapha Traffic Circle) and MR3 Highway (Ngwenya/Manzini).

Discharge

He said the water from Kwaluseni and surrounding road networks was designed to discharge to the Eteteni wetland. Unfortunately, he said the wetland had been dissipated by the number of commercial buildings, churches and housing developments, such that the water was now being re-directed back to the main road, down to the Matsapha Traffic Circle. Thereafter, he said as a ministry, they request local authorities responsible for allocating land and giving building permits to consult with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport before allocating land near roads, in order to avoid such occurrences in future. Once more, he reminded the public that building on road reserves was illegal. He said the law would take its course in instances where they would find buildings that have encroached onto road reserves and also blocked drainage systems. Moreover, the PS said while construction was ongoing at the Matsapha Traffic Circle, road users should drive cautiously and adhere to all road signage on site to avoid accidents.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: