The construction of roads in the country faces delays due to the scarcity of construction material in the country, Roads Authority (RA) project manager Johann Essmann says.
Speaking during a Road Fund Administration (RFA) stakeholder engagement at Otjiwarongo last week, Essmann said the scarcity of road construction materials in the country makes it hard to maintain progress, despite the availability of funds.
"We use bitumen, which lasts for about 15 years, but we don't have it in Namibia. Companies like Colas and Tosis import from South Africa," he said Bitumen is a petroleum-based hydrocarbon, which Essmann referred to as safer, more elastic and more economical compared to tar, which was used 50 years ago.
"The residue cannot be sourced locally because we do not have an oil refinery system in the country," he said.
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Essmann said despite this, the RA aims to ensure funds are used efficiently and for the intended purpose. The engagement aimed to assess progress, challenges and impact on the ongoing rehabilitation and maintenance of urban roads in the Otjozondjupa, Erongo, Oshikoto and Kavango East regions. The fund has been working together with local authorities and the RA through agreements to upgrade, maintain and rehabilitate urban roads in the four regions. An agreement was signed between the RA, the RFA and the Tsumeb, Walvis, Rundu and Otjiwarongo municipalities to address the road crisis at urban towns, RFA corporate services manager Ferdinand Molale said. Several towns, including Walvis Bay, Tsumeb, Rundu and Otjiwarongo have reported progress, but construction materials remain a challenge.
"The roads at these towns were in a crisis. They reached out to us to say they have a crisis and need our assistance," he said.
Molale said the organisation will continue to monitor development and explore ways to improve service delivery.
Element Consulting Engineers engineer Paulus Shalongo said road projects are challenging, but that contractors always plan ahead to ensure they have sufficient material, often using storage tanks to keep essential supplies available for road projects.
Otjiwarongo municipality chief executive Mberipura Hifitikeko said road construction at the town is part of the formalisation of the informal settlement.
The RFA has rehabilitated and maintained urban roads in four regions through funds administered by the RA, with some in the south yet to be assessed. The fund says it plans to increase funding allocation for road maintenance to N$752 million from N$605 million next year.
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