The city of Pemba, the provincial capital of Cabo Delgado, is at risk of becoming partially isolated from the rest of the country due to erosion that threatens to cut off National Road Number One (N1), the main road access to the city, according to the newspaper O País.
The National Roads Administration (ANE) revealed that containment works should have been completed before the start of the current rainy season. However, only now has it been possible to secure the necessary funds to halt the advance of the erosion that is compromising the stability of the N1 road shoulder.
“Over the past months, we have been working to identify the best solution to contain that erosion, and the solution we are bringing is, in fact, the installation of gabions in order to protect the slope and the bottom of that crater, along with a water reception basin,” explained Jorge Govanhica, ANE delegate in Cabo Delgado.
The official stated that funds for the execution of the works — budgeted at around 2.3 million US dollars — are already available, having been allocated by the Government. However, the start of activities is conditional upon carrying out an environmental impact study, a legal requirement for the issuance of the respective licence.
“It is necessary to carry out a series of studies to ensure that the activities do not affect the environment. Therefore, the next step is to work towards obtaining the environmental licence and, on the other side, to select the contractor and create all the administrative conditions to begin the works,” Govanhica added.
The N1 is the main road artery linking the north and south of the country, and any interruption along this section could have significant consequences for the mobility of people and goods, as well as for the supply of the city of Pemba and neighbouring districts.
