By Bakah Derick
Traffic along the Bamenda-Bambui road was slowed during the later hours of Tuesday 6 September 2022 following work to ease water flow on the bridge on Nkie-Mufeh at Mile 4 Nkwen.
Escavator on duty at the Mile 4 bridge
The work according to Mayor Fongu Cletus Tanwe of the Bamenda III Council is a temporal measure to solve the flooding which has been a regular occurrence at the bridge.
"We are here today as a temporal measure to rescue the floods that are frequent on this bridge and we think that with this temporal measure, the situation will ameliorate as we seek a permanent solution in the near future." Mayor Fongu Cletus Tanwe told www.hilltopvoices.com as he supervised the work.
The last time floods made traffic across the bride slow is about a week ago leaving many on the road for over three hours.
Kari Jackson an environmentalist has blamed the regular flooding on poor waste management around the area. The waste made up largely plastics could be seen by the bridge and some floating on the water as the escavator was opening the water way.
"Waste management is equally the problem but you know we can only collaborate with the city council for the purpose of collecting and managing waste. They are the once to open up and we can only rely on their programme on what they want to do ameliorate the situation." Mayor Fongu Cletus Tanwe responded when quized on the matter.
"I am very happy with the work the mayor has done here but my greatest wish is that let this waste here be carried and measures taken to stop the dumping of waste here because if we allow waste dumping here, it will not be long and the situation will happen again during the next rainy season if not this one." Julius Fumonyuy a road user said.
The land around the stream has been largely reclaimed despite earlier notifications of no reclamation by the defunt Bamenda urban council. This has seen the construction of embankments by multiple land owners around the stream. The municipal leader has distant himself from the authorisation of reclamation of the land around the stream indicating that the decision came from higher quarters.
While providing a temporal solution, Mayor Fongu Cletus Tanwe has indicated that those charged with the responsibility for such works at both the national and regional levels have been informed of the situation. He has expressed hope that a permanent solution may come soon.
Mayor Fongu has sympathized with all those who have suffered as a resulted of over flooding at the bridge.
"I will like to share my words of encouragement with those who have suffered as a result of floods on this bridge and to say that we are sorry for what has happened before and what is happening now, and we are think that with this little effort, the situation will not be the same again." Mayor Fongu Cletus said
The Nkie-Mufeh bridge it should be recalled was constructed in the early 80s at the time both up and down the stream from the bridge were still free of construction and waste.
