Jonglei Governor visit road reconstruction site
By Philip Thon Aleu
August 8, 2009 (BOR TOWN) – Jonglei Governor Kuol Manyang Juuk paid a visit to devastated road being reconstructed by Rhino Stars company on Wednesday.
Rhino Stars – an indigenous Company for roads, bridges and houses construction started off loading and compacting soils on this road that links Jonglei capital Bor to Malakal, capital of Unity State early July, 2009. It’s also the gateway to Juba, Central Equatoria state from Bor.
Admiring the work done on this part of the highway, Mr. Manyang praises the local firm. Resident Director of Rhino star, Bol Ajoung, was present when the state leader heading a team of state chiefs and journalists toured construction at Baidit Payam – 20 km south of state capital Bor Town.
With the help of road machines; the bulldozers, rollers, tippers and excavators the road comes to live. A distance that lasted 30 minutes in March, 2009 when the road was “dead” only takes 5 minutes for the drivers to start engine and releases a brake pad.
Gov. Kuol, who also visited this village when flood detached huts from the soil in August, 2008, could not believes his eyes.
“This road was completely damaged,” Gov. Kuol told new minister of physical infrastructure Deng Alier Mading.
Being a home company, Rhino stars commenced reconstruction with a small percentage of the money needed. Gov. Kuol lauded Mr. Peter Atem Ngor, the managing director and also the founder of the company, for understanding the difficulty that Jonglei cannot meet huge funding in short time. He promised to work closely with South Sudan officials to secure some money.
Eng. Otim Jimmy, the site responsible, told the Sudan Tribune that the company is committed to qualitative construction. The clay-muddy soil of Jonglei has ever challenged road maintenance. Car capsizing is common on rainy days due to slipper loamy soil.
A good engineer must work extra by taking many samples of soil in many places to obtain a sustainable road shape – the attainable tarmac is ‘marram road.’ The width of the road is 15 meters and 1.5m high according to engineers. A distance of 8 km is in the agreement of Jonglei with Rhino Stars for reconstruction. Rhino Stars, however, discovered that 10 km must be covered based on the distance between the two points agreed.
The significance of this part of the road is that it serves as the high way to Malakal and connects Bor County to Twic East, Duk, Ayod and Piegi Counties. The highway collapsed in 2008 when flood carried away the compacted soil known as road. Transport came to a stand still most of that year. Sailors and car passengers waved at each other when the road became ‘stream’ at a depth of 4 meters. Crocodiles, fishes and other reptiles shared the path with non-cold-blooded animals – world we share!
However, the length contracted is too insufficient to serve most of the people in Jonglei state but a good beginning.
The existence of a good road network in the state is seen as necessary to allow the state government to react quickly to tribal violence and dispatches troops to stop tribal fighting. The existence of such infrastructure will help to impose security and dissuade assailants.
(ST)
Kur
Jonglei Governor visit road reconstruction site
We urge the government of South Sudan to encourage Southern Sudanese to establish local companies so that we can do our own work with little influence from anybody. We have enough resources to enable us build strong economy. I think in few years’ time they will be looking at us with envious eyes as our economy grows to its full potential.
Kur
J.James
Jonglei Governor visit road reconstruction site
Hi All
In fact the killing of any innocent live is very regretable and and such kind of death must be avoided by any means. However, people need sometimes to be careful reporting and commenting to the articles because I discovered that most of the news edited here normally take different anglee.
I was shamed to respond to the premature statement from UN secretary genreal on his condemnation of the Lou Nuer, Murle killings before weighing the matter. I don’t think Mr. Ban Ki is qualified enough as UN general based on his current stand because somebody in his position can jump into conclusion way ahead like that.
I urge Mr. secretary to be patient when it comes to tribal issues. I think now he heard that Murle did not attack Lou Nuer at their villages but deep inside Murle terrotory. And as we all know, no body allow his attacker to come and roam around his backyard without trying to repel him away and that is exactly what happen because Murle though that Lou Nuer may try to regroup and launch at attack against their villages if they don’t chase them away, of which it is likely since no one know what it was going to happen if Lou Nuer were allowed to station there for sometimes.
I am also sure that everybody can do exactly that because I dond’t think Americans can allow Taliban to come and loiter at DC streets, not Britishs or Austrialians.
Please Mr. Bak-Ki try to be fair and realistic.
God bless