Before and after
* The M1 Road to Nsanje was cut off at Sekeni after its bridge’s culverts were washed away by heavy waterfall from incessant rains in the past week
* Illovo Sugar’s Nchalo Estate swiftly reacted by building a pedestrian Bailey bridge which residents profoundly applauded for
By Duncan Mlanjira
Within 24 hours after a bridge at Sekeni along the M1 Road to Nsanje was washed away due the incessant rains in the past week that has cut off motor vehicle traffic between Bereu and Nchalo, Illovo Sugar Malawi’s Nchalo Estate has today completed a Bailey bridge for pedestrians crossings.
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As the water was not subsiding, pedestrians — with heavy loads on their heads and arms, were being precariously assisted to cross the river along the bridge’s side barriers.
Nchalo Estate General Manager, Ricky Pillay told Maravi Express that the bridge barrier was flattened and turned into a walkaway by some community members who were charging K5,000 for each crossing — thus Illovo Sugar management’s decision to mobilise its equipment to build the Bailey bridge.
He said their engineers were on the ground in the past 24 hours, saying they are very happy to witness how the swift intervention has relieved people’s movements across this river for their various economic livelihoods businesses.
Ricky Pillay commissioning the Bailey bridge
The situation at Sekeni was highlighted by Malawi Weather Chasers hours earlier, whose members posted a video clip of people being assisted to cross over — a heart-rending scenario in the event that one slipped and fell into the river’s heavily flowing water.
Pillay applauded Nchalo Estate’s engineers for their dedication to complete the task, which was also thanked for by the community members as they safely crossed over the Bailey bridge.
A video shared by Pillay shows a senior citizen lady, with a load on her head giving Pillay a polite curtesy, saying ‘zikomo kwambiri bwana General Manager’, to which the South African national also responded in vernacular, much to everyone’s delight and appreciation.
The rest reciprocated the senior citizen’s gesture as they crisscrossed the bridge simultaneously from both ends of the river, since the pedestrians’ walkaway, built even to last after the bridge has been reinstalled, is wide enough for easy mobility.
According to the General Manager, the Nchalo Estate’s community has been flooded ever since the rains started, saying the water flooding is worse than that due to Tropical Cyclone Ana in 2020.
He indicated that many households in the Estate residential areas, along with most of its sorrounding communities, have been affected.
Situation on the ground from various areas.—Pictures courtesy of Malawi Weather Chasers
A few days ago, National Water Resources Authority (NWRA) issued a statement announcing that Kamuzu Barrage at Liwonde was opened and was releasing about one million litres of water per second into downstream of the Shire River in order to protect both upstream and downstream communities.
This is due to water level in Lake Malawi rising at its highest point in years, which NWRA indicated that the lake stands at 476.01 meters above sea level (masl), which is 0.46 masl higher than last year under the same period.
The water level could reach 476.4 masl by May, 2026 and to prevent the lake from swelling further, the Kamuzu Barrage was thus opened. The NWRA says the rise has been caused by heavy rainfall across Central and Northern regions of Malawi and in parts of Tanzania on the eastern side of the lake.
Kamuzu Barrage at Liwonde
On Wednesday, the Department of Water Resources in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation & Water Development indicated that water levels in most of the rivers across the country, especially along the lake shore areas, are increasing, which might result in riverine flooding.
A statement Secretary for Department of Water Development, from Henrie Njoloma, said in the Shire River, water levels are slightly rising but “have not yet reached a level where flooding can occur”, which is not a true reflection of what is happening in the Lower Shire, as indicated by Maravi Express sources.
Meanwhile, the Department of Climate Change & Meteorological Services (DCCMS), reported yesterday that heavy rains were expected to persist in some areas, especially along the lakeshore, and still poses a high risk of flooding — thus asks the public to stay alert to protect life and property.
And in its weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow, the DCCMS alerts the public to expect occasionally windy and partly cloudy conditions with isolated thunderstorms and rains due to the influence of an unstable easterly airmass.
