HARARE City Council yesterday admitted it was not inspecting its infrastructure due to resource and skills constraints, a development that could prove disastrous following claims that a bridge on a busy Harare road has developed structural defects and could collapse anytime.
There were claims on social media yesterday that
Mupedzanhamo flyover where Simon Mazorodze Road interchanges with Rotten Row,
was shaking and vibrating.
In a statement yesterday, council engineer Bernard Musarurwa
said inspections on structures were not being done frequently because of lack
of skill.
“It is a requirement that every structure, be it a
building, a bridge, a dam, a powerline, any form of infrastructure, be
inspected periodically for structural integrity, and fitness for purpose,” he
said.
“Sadly, these inspections are not being conducted
regularly, if at all, due to lack of resources, expertise, or in most cases,
ignorance, or quite often, plain ‘ignoring.’
“So, it is more disconcerting where inspections have been
conducted, and defects noted, and yet no remedial action is taken for over a
decade; then it becomes a matter of waiting for a disaster to happen, which
perhaps may be the only way to jolt the relevant authorities to take action.”
Musarurwa said the Mupedzanhamo flyover was last inspected
in 2006 and serious structural defects were noted, but no action had been taken
to date.
“Unfortunately, this is not the only case of ‘ignoring’ to
take remedial action on defective structures, with several other bridges on the
national highways having been inspected and reported upon that remedial action
was required,” he said.
Musarurwa said he prayed that there would be no fatalities
in the event of the inevitable collapse of one of the bridges or a building, an
escalator/lift, or any other infrastructure which requires attention.
Council in 2006 invited a consulting engineering firm to conduct
inspections and to report on the defects noted at the flyover, which noted
defects.
“From the two inspections, the consultant was able to
ascertain first-hand the extent of defects to be able to propose the requisite
intervention strategies required for the repair of the structures, and to
outline the scope of the work required to conduct a detailed assessment of the
manifesting defects, and the structural analysis required to be able to make
detailed recommendations for the appropriate remedial works.” Newsday
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