Mzimba rural dies for safe bridges

When rains begin in Mzimba District, what should be a season of renewal stirs anxiety, fear, mourning and isolation in villagers along South Rukuru River. The collapsed Kamteteka Bridge has become a death trap. The bridge, situated near the confluence of the South Rukuru and Mzimba rivers, submerges in floods each rainy season.

For Jane Tembo of Magulu Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Chindi, the danger is real. Last December, as families prepared for Christmas and New Year festivities, her son was swept by the swollen river while crossing the submerged bridge. “I feel lucky that the swelling water swept him to a safer spot.

I nearly lost my child,” Tembo said. The bridge between Kamteteka and Mnthonje primary schools has long been buried under sand and silt. During the rainy season, water floods the deck, concealing unstable ground beneath.

[paywall]

Residents say the problem has persisted for decades, but worsened in recent years. “Drownings occur almost every year and some bodies are never recovered. This year, two people have already died.

If the government is not doing anything, we will keep losing lives,” says Lovemore Chavula, from T/A Chindi. For communities north of the river, the crossing is not optional. It links them to trading centres and essential services, including Kamteteka Health Centre.

Each rainy season, the swelling river disrupts access to the nearest health facility—forcing the people from the cut-off areas to endure longer travels to Bulala Health Centre. “In addition to drowning, we lose people because they fail to access medical assistance in time. Fixing the bridge will help prevent such deaths,” says Innocent Nkhoma, from T/A M’mbelwa.

In 2017, an ambulance from Mzimba District Hospital was swept away by the angry river. No one died, but the vehicle was destroyed. Villagers believed that losing government property would prompt swift action, but they are still waiting for upgrades of the fragile bridge. The bridge is also closer to a shortcut to Mzimba Boma, where traders purchase merchandise for sale.

[/paywall]