Upper Nile has no roads, building set for November

July 27, 2011 (MALAKAL) – Citizens of Upper Nile state will see massive road construction begin by November, Kun Monylang Diing, the state minister of physical infrastructure said in an interview with Sudan Tribune in Malakal on Wednesday.

The minister acknowledged that roads inside Malakal, the headquarters of former greater Upper Nile region, are example of how gravely-damaged the roads network in the state are. Asked to speak about the current status of roads in Upper Nile, minister Monylang put it this way:

“For now, we don’t have roads [in Upper Nile] as we speak,” he said adding that “you cannot move throughout the year in Upper Nile state.”

“Next year for sure, people will travel throughout [the year,” he said.

Malakal is served by three main roads; one from north Sudan through Renk – Malakal called peace road which was funded by the government of national unity before the country split on 9 July following South Sudan’s independence declaration.

South Sudan’s federal ministry of roads will continue with construction of the Renk—Malakal road, which will continue to Jonglei state, according to the minister.

Other roads are Malakal—Nassir—Jookou to Ethiopia and Ethiopia to Pagak—Mathiang—Welgok—Malut then to Malakal. Most of the roads are dry season roads and minister Monylang who described them as merely “cleared” of trees without building of road layers.

Trade is not flowing between counties and responses to security challenges are always hampered by the curved roads starting within Malakal town. In remote villages, the cleared long-paths known as ‘road’ are submerged during rainy seasons halting land movement, Monylang said.

“Without roads, the economy will not grow. Without roads, the security [agents] will be difficult to respond,” he said.

Given volatile security situation, combating local clashes is the priority of the Upper Nile state government followed by the road construction, minister Monylang said.

POWER AND WATER

Many citizens in Malakal drink untreated water fetch from River Nile. Minister Monylang disclosed to Sudan Tribune that one of the challenges needing “long term solutions” are building of new water treatment plant and electricity as “other big projects.”

“But you know, the town has grown and is growing all the time so, clean water doesn’t reach people. We are working to up-grade or build new plant. We have also transported [into Malakal] three generators and we [are] working to connect and operate as a temporally solution [to power shortage],” he said.

Big infrastructure projects have taken time to begin as after elections in 2010 feasibility studies had to be carried out. Costs and budgets were only agreed between companies and the state government in March just before the rainy season.

“And you know also in Malakal, there are some fights erupting all the time. There are more fights that occurred here in the town and the contractors ran away when there is war. We have to push them to come back to work,” he said.

After more than two decades of civil war, South Sudan’s infrastructures remains in a bad shape and constructing them is one of the immediate challenges the new nation is posed to address in order to respond to local security threats.

(ST)