Chicala-Cholohanga – The completion of work to replace the bridge over the Cunene River, which connects the city of Huambo to the communes of Sambo and Samboto, is scheduled for the next five months, ANGOP learned on Wednesday.
Located in the Sassoma sector, Sambo commune, in the municipality of Chicala-Cholohanga, the new metal bridge will have two lanes, seven meters wide and 45 meters long, with a capacity to support up to 60 tons.
Its replacement, after being washed away by heavy rains in February 2020, could facilitate the flow of agricultural products and improve the movement of people and goods.
With an investment of 372 million 236 thousand, 513 Kwanzas and 75 cents, financed by the Integrated Plan for Intervention in Municipalities (PIIM), the works began, Wednesday, with the consignment notice guided by the vice-governor for the Political, Social and Economic sector, Angelino Edmundo Elavoco.
On the occasion, Vice Governor Angelino Elavoco said it was a strategic bridge, which could return good traffic to the local population, as well as improve the flow of agricultural products from the countryside to the city.
He pointed out that citizens, especially producers, have experienced great difficulties in circulation, hence its restoration is an important step towards solving this problem of mobility between Sambo and Samboto.
The official stressed that the new bridge is designed with the most modern engineering techniques, with the use of high-quality materials and advanced technology, capable of ensuring a robust, durable structure and resistant to the climatic diversities typical of this region and the intense flow of vehicles.
It asked the contractor and the supervisor of the works to maintain the necessary quality of the contract, by observing the technical rigour and complying with the contractual deadlines of five months.
He warned that the quality of the work will be fundamental for the duration of the bridge and, at the same time, for the safety of people and property.
The peasant Eduardo Ngomba said that it has been very difficult to transport agricultural products between Sambo, Samboto, Chicala-Cholohanga and Huambo, even risking his life with canoes and motorbikes.
He recalled that he has been transporting products such as corn, beans, cassava and various vegetables, but with a lot of difficulties to face the strong water currents of the Cunene River by canoe.
The bridge over the Cunene River, in the commune of Sambo, municipality of Chicala-Cholohanga, Huambo province, had been built in 2007 and served the communities of the region for more than a decade, but due to excessive rainfall and the strong flow, it collapsed in February 2020.
It is recalled that, due to the lack of a bridge, six people drowned on 10 April, after the van in which they were travelling was swept away by the waters, due to the rise of the river flow, when it tried to cross the ford.
With 4,380 square kilometers, the municipality of Chicala-Cholohanga, divided by the communes of Mbave, Sambo, Samboto and Sede, has an estimated population of 72,000 inhabitants, mostly peasants. ZZN/JSV/ALH/DOJ
