WORN, Margibi – A culvert linking Gibi district in Margibi to the rest of the county has collapsed. The bridge collapsed on Saturday following a heavy rainstorm.
Residents in the areas say the situation is impeding free movement.
James Tokpah, a resident of Gibi district, told The Bush Chicken in a phone interview that he and other residents have been completely cut off from Kakata and other key cities.
Tokpah said as a result of the culvert collapse, farmers can no longer take their produce to sell in Kakata. He also said the situation is making it difficult for residents to get basic necessities.
“School is opening now and we can’t go to the market to sell our produce and buy other things or have money to pay our children’s school fees,†he said.
A closer look at the culvert. Photo: Emmanuel Degleh
Margibi Superintendent John Buway said the county administration has been informed about the situation and he is aware of the impeded movement of residents on both sides of Senemee creek.
Buway said he was concerned that the situation could create a food crisis in the county.
“It is a serious situation because Gibi is the bread basket for the county,†he said.
He, however, said that his office has requested the resident engineer of the county to do a quick assessment of what is required to fix the problem. He said the Ministry of Public Works has also earlier promised to carry out major rehabilitation on major roads in the county.
The road leading to the culvert. Photo: Emmanuel Degleh
Buway called the issue of bad roads an age old problem that is exacerbated during the rainy season.
According to him, the only way to solve the problems was to pave the county’s dirt roads, which he said was expensive to do.
The superintendent disclosed that he has presented a proposal for four other counties (Bong, Nimba, Lofa, and Grand Bassa) to work with Margibi in petitioning the legislature for a specific amount of money to be allotted in the budget for road rehabilitations.
“County development funds cannot fund these projects alone,†he said.
The local office of the Ministry of Public Works in Margibi confirmed that it is studying the situation in the county.
This is not the first time that heavy rains have impacted transportation infrastructure in the county. In June, a rainstorm caused authorities to close the Robertsfield Highway and prevented access to the Roberts International Airport. The storm also left over 2,000 residents homeless.
Featured photo by Emmanuel Degleh
