11Malawi T2 Centre Vol: 2. Number 1Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations presented in this Newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarilyreflect the views of the Mw T2 Centre, University of Malawi or its main stakeholder the Ministry of Transport and Public Works.

In this IssuePage

Minister of Transport and Public Works opened Lupanga Railway Bridge ..............2

Capacity Building in Construction Indusrty......................................................3

Improving Transportation Skills Base........4

Roads Works Component Under TheGovernment of Malawi/European Union ...5

Road Pavement Technologyies andApplicability in Developng Countries.........7

Insitu Cold Mix Milling of The Blantyre-Chikwawa Road ........................................8

Road Traffic Directorate ............................9

Handcarts: The Most AppropriateTransportation Technology for Transfer toMalawi .....................................................10

Whom to Blame.......................................12

What's up at T2 Centre Library? .............13

National Roads Authority’s Business,Activities, Chakkenges and Constraints..14

In Our Next Issue Highlights of the 2nd Africa Technology

Transfer Conference What is International Focus Group on

Rural Road Engineering (IFG)?

The T2 Centre is pleased to publish the third issue of its newsletter. We welcome you to enjoyreading the articles but remember to give us feedback to serve you better.

Cover* Kwacha Junction round-about* Accident wreckage at Mwanza Border

Post

Volume 1 Number 2. January 2006

AAAA NNNNeeeewwwwsssslllleeeetttt tttteeeerrrr ooooffff tttthhhheeee MMMMaaaallllaaaawwwwiiii TTTTrrrraaaannnnssssppppoooorrrr ttttaaaatttt iiiioooonnnn TTTTeeeecccchhhhnnnnoooollllooooggggyyyy TTTTrrrraaaannnnssssffffeeeerrrr CCCCeeeennnntttt rrrreeee

University of MalawiThe Polytechnic

Technology Transfer Centre

The Mwanza Border Post accident wreckage. Malawi lost 15lives as a result of this accident on 5th February 2005. The T2Centre visited the scene of the accident and made severalobservations from which a report was prepared and sent to rel-evant stakeholders for action to prevent similar incidents infuture across the country. The question is what action hasbeen done to date because the National Road Safety Councilroad accidents statistics 1st quarter 2005 report that fatalitiesare projected to increase by more than 5% from 2004. Let usall take action to prevent fatalities from increasing beyond the2004 figure of 689 fatalities.

Final touches to Kwacha junction being turned into a round-about in Blantyre. The National Roads Authority hopesmotorists movements shall be eased and thus reduce acci-dents once this roundabout is completed. The roundabout isexpected to be in use by August 2005.

Malawi T2 Centre Vol: 2. Number 1 22

Hon. Henry Mussa. MPHon. Henry Mussa. MPMinister of Transport and Public Works

The Minister of Transport and Public

Works, Hon. Henry Mussa, MP opened the

Lupanga Railway Bridge on Livirivi River

on 15th April 2005 in Balaka. The Minister

emphasized that the opening restores rail-

way line connectivity to the Central Region

thus reducing transport costs that had

gone up since 2002 when the bridge was

washed away.

Mr C Guta, Director General, MalawiIndustrial Research and

TechnologyDevelopment Centre

Mr F Chinsinga, PSMinistry of Transport andPublic Works, Advisory

Board Chairperson

Mr M Kachiwala,Acting Chief ExecutiveOfficer, National Roads

Authority, AdvisoryBoard Vice-Chairperson

Mr Y AlideActing Principal,

Malawi Polytechnic.

View of Lupanga Railway Bridge View of Lupanga Railway Bridge

The Minister of Transport and Public Works, opened

LUPANGA RR AA II LLWW AAYY BB RR II DD GG EE

Meet some of the Malawi Transportation Technology Transfer Centre Advisory Board Members:

Malawi T2 Centre Vol: 2. Number 1 33

1.0 Background

The National Construction Industry Council ismandated "to monitor and evaluate from timeto time the capacity and progress of personsengaged in the construction industry" and

also "to conduct training within Malawi and co-ordi-nate the training conducted by others of personsengaged in the construction industry." The twofunctions that are part of the 20 functions of theCouncil (see part IV of Clause 11 of NCIC Act)make the two building blocks to capacity buildingin the construction by the Council.

All the functions performed by the Council andpowers invested in the Council were previously themandate of Ministry of Works and Supplies. TheCouncil absolved the functions and powersbecause the general public wanted an agency thatwould deal with both public and private sectorswith more emphasis on private sector hence thecreation of National Construction Industry Council(NCIC).

2.0 Monitoring and Evaluation of Capacityand Progress in the ConstructionIndustry

For the construction industry to be successful, theclients, consultants, contractors, material suppliersand manufactures etc have to be monitored andevaluated. The four crucial stakeholders are inter-linked. Clients depend on consultants and contrac-tors to execute the works. The works cannot beexecuted if required quality and quantity of materi-als are not available hence the need for materialmanufacturers and material suppliers.

All the four crucial stakeholders have beenentrenched in the membership to the Council asstated in the NCIC Act Clause.

The Council has a role to play in ensuring thatduties performed by each stakeholder is ofrequired expectation and benefit to other stake-holders. Where performance of the particularstakeholders is not up to the expectations and hasdisadvantaged the other stakeholders, it is themandate of NCIC to address such situations. TheCouncil is likely to look at human resource, finan-cial resource, equipment and materials in order tobuild capacity I making up the deficiencies. Thecapacity has been enhanced by NCIC throughtraining and facilitation of provision of resources tothe construction industry.

3.0 Addressing the Capacity Problems

Some solutions have been able to be resolved bythe Council alone but other solutions required gov-ernment and donor support.

3.1 NCIC Solutions

The Council has resolved capacity problemsthrough the following means:

(i) TrainingA number of training courses have been con-ducted to improve construction technologymanagement to contractors. Consultationshave been made to consultants and clientsand in long courses of 4 months to 6 monthsconsultants and clients have been able to sendtheir members of staff for such training.

There have been courses that NCIC has beenable to conduct using its own financialresources but donors have also been able tofund a number of courses.

(ii) Training FacilitationThe Council has noted capacity problem intrained personnel employed to clients, con-tractors and consultants yet training for suchpersonnel has not been readily available. Inthis instance, the Council facilitated introduc-tion of degree courses in Quantity Surveying,Land Surveying, Land Economy and PhysicalPlanning at Malawi Polytechnic. QuantitySurveying and Land Surveying courses areoperational whereas the other courses havetheir curricula done but yet to start in the nextacademic years. At least, the constructionindustry expects sufficient human resourceswhen graduates start coming out of the MalawiPolytechnic.

Stakeholders at a workshop aimed at establisingha Training Unit at NCIC

CAPACITY BUILDING IN

CCOONNSSTTRRUUCCTTIIOONN IINNDDUUSSTTRRYYby Mrby Mr. Jonny J. Somba, . Jonny J. Somba,

Chief Executive Officer, National Construction Industry Councilncic@malawi.net, Tel.: 265-1-725 564, Fax 265-1-725 535

Malawi T2 Centre Vol: 2. Number 1 44

3.2 Government Solution

The Council is thankful to Malawi Government for handlingover training facilities at Works Training Centre, Lilongweto the Council. The government also made it possible forroad sector loans for infrastructure to be available to NCICfor capacity building.

3.3 Donors SolutionsDonors such as World Bank, Nordic Development Bank(NDB) and European Union have funded the constructionindustry in establishing the secretariat of NCIC, providingfunds to undertake studies and provide training facilities.

Remarkable studies being undertaken through IDA fundingare Construction Survey Function, Creation ofConstruction Fund, and Creation of Construction equip-ment pool (by NDP). The studies undertaken are useful tothe Industry and give a bright future to the stakeholders toinvest in the construction industry.

4.0 ChallengesIt is expected that clients, contractors, consultants etc willaccept their performance shortfalls and allow the councilwork with them to address the shortfalls. Not many stake-holders in particular contractors see the need to buildcapacity within themselves in order to produce qualitywork. There are about 1000 contractors but one can seeonly 10 participants to a full course.

It is also hoped that government will inject more funds intoinfrastructure development so that contractors and consul-tants can develop their skills so material suppliers be ableto supply adequate materials to the industry.

5.0 OpportunitiesThere is goodwill for the Industry to prosper to higher lim-its. Government is willing to assist so too the donors.There are also stakeholders who are willing to learn and itis hoped such stakeholders in form of contractors, consul-tants, material suppliers etc can prosper and be able towork on international projects. Let us work together inorder to build capacity in the construction industry.

CAPACITY BUILDING IN

CCOONNSSTTRRUUCCTTIIOONN IINNDDUUSSTTRRYY

Introduction

As the subject continues to be dis-cussed, a close look will be to dis-cuss particular areas on problems

related to new trends and so supportingthe subject; this been so as a result of aconsultation and from the feedbackgiven by readers on the subject.

Customs Vs. New Age in theTransportation Industry: What's theDifference?

Problems that exist in theTransportation/Freight markets is also aresult of say the New Age and its e-Economies, that much must be done toincrease the development pace in trans-portation/freight technologies (hardwareand software solutions) and capacitybuilding so that we trade globally ingoods and services more competently.Technologies today make it possible toinnovations in industries and trades of allkinds. The mega transportation industryalone is composed of so many industriesand markets that with the available tech-nologies it is very simple to trade the ser-vices globally.

Traditional Means of trading -Old AgeThe analysis of existing facilities for trad-ing in the transportation/freight industries

in Malawi is part of an overall research intransportation/freight technologies (i.e. inparticular Software Solutions). Theresearch addresses that enough oppor-tunities and profit-abilities of both trans-portation/freight firms, consumers of theservices and the suppliers of the solu-tions do exist in the region: this studiedwithin the framework of the economy'smission in identifying specific transporta-tion/freight trading facilities necessaryfor improvements to support existing andfuture international trade in goods. Theexisting facilities do not help much in the'reduction of transportation costs man-agement' as a result of sticking too muchto traditional means of trading. Facilitiesfor trading in the new age are not sup-plied sufficiently and consumed by thetrade in the region. For instance fewfreight companies in Malawi have a pres-ence on the Internet -a freight companyeven so little must have a presence onthe Internet, at least one Web page!

This article outlines in brief other findingsthat address the need to change andbring in an effective configuration of thetrading facilities in the practices.

The FindingsIn the said research, we also discoveredthe following:

Transportation/Freight technologies

(in this regard, Software Solutions)can be used in the reduction of trans-portation/freight services production,supply and delivery costs;The solutions aids maximum prof-itability to be achieved;In Malawi and in other parts of theregion (but not in South Africa)designers, developers and suppliersof related solutions are not located;The users, service providers andauthorities of the transportation /freight industries all are lookingforward to see the introduction anddevelopment of these technologies.

In the New AgeIn the New Age the following happens intransportation/freight firms:

Rims of papers are reduced; Costs incurred in sending and receiv-ing of messages are kept low;Obsolete-labor (e.g. all non-ICT per-sonnel or say those leaving behindthe age) are removed from job;New and unlimited clientele list intro-duced.

…. To be continued in Next Issue

Some useful links:URL: http://www.ics.uk.org URL:http://www.routesmart.com/

Improving the TImproving the Transportransportation Skills Base! ation Skills Base! Transport and trade are inextricably linked…!By Louis L. Wright Uko,By Louis L. Wright Uko, SHIPBROKER (SIST) +265 9 957 798, loudoggzin4000@yahoo.com

Continued from last issue!Continued from last issue!

Malawi T2 Centre Vol: 2. Number 1 5

Introduction

Most rural roads in Malawi are in a verypoor state. As a result, accessibility tosocial services such as schools, hospitalsand markets is difficult.

Malawi is a relatively small country with a high pop-ulation, 105 persons per sq km, naturally, and arural proportion of 80% (NSO 2000) there is a greatneed for access in the rural areas.

In order to support the Government efforts inimproving rural access and alleviating poverty theGoM/EU Public Works Programme (PWP) is pro-moting labour intensive rehabilitation of districtroads. The programme is part of the EuropeanUnion's overall assistance to the Government ofMalawi's Poverty Alleviation Programme. The pro-gramme has been in operation since April 2001.

The roads component was implemented inLilongwe, Mchinji, Kasungu, Ntchisi and Dowa from2001 to 2004. In 2004 and part of 2005 it was inNkhotakota, Salima, Dedza and Ntcheu districts.The maintenance activities will continue in the fiveoriginal districts.

Component Objectives

The roads component has the objective of improv-ing district feeder roads and bridges and maintain-ing previously rehabilitated roads.

ExpenditureThe 8th European Development Fund (EDF) andEuropean Annual Food Security Programme with abudget of 23 million Euros fund the programmeover 4 years. Of the budget 44% is allocated to theroads component.

Component Outputs2, 089km of rural roads have been rehabilitated.Concrete decks have replaced 678m timberdeck bridges.895 km of rehabilitated roads are being main-tained.

25, 934 persons have participated in road andbridge works.879 persons are employed in road mainte-nance.

Implementation

The GoM/EU PWP roads components is imple-mented with Technical Assistance provided byAfricon Limited and locally appointed engineersfrom private consultants and the National RoadsAuthority. This will ensure that the training skillsleant during the programme will remain for futureactivities of the personnel.

Implementation Activities

Road Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation of rural feeder roads includes: -Pavement creation: cleaning and grubbing, pro-file reshaping pothole and scouring repair andminor alignment.Drainage Structures: Side drains, mitre drains,culverts, drifts, Irish bridges and erosion controlmeasures.

Rehabilitation work is done on existing designatedroads that are part of national road network. Theprogramme does not construct new roads. Theaverage cost of rural road rehabilitation is approxi-mately US$3, 500 per kilometer, employing 14 to16 people for a period of 3 months. On averageone person employed earns US$50 per contract.

Bridge WorksThis involves replacing existing timber deckbridges with concrete deck to ensure long-termrural accessibility. This includes the construction oftemporary deviations, removal of existing timberdecks, repair to existing abutments and piers, con-struction of concrete caps to abutment and piers,construction of new cast in situ concrete decks.Also erosion protection works, watercourse clear-ing works and raising bridge approaches. Bridgesare only replaced on the roads that the programmecovers under the rehabilitation mentioned above.

TTHHEE GGOOVVEERRNNMMEENNTT OOFFMMAALLAAWWII//EEUURROOPPEEAANN UUNNIIOONNBy Mr. Harris Kumwenda, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development

ROADS WORKS COMPONENT UNDER

Road Maintenance

Once completed and the defects liability period isover the rehabilitation contractor is released andthe roads need to be maintained. Members of aroad maintenance club are selected from the com-munities previously involved in the rehabilitationworks. The Length - Man system is used whereeach club member is allocated a kilometer of roadto maintain with supervision from the Programmes'maintenance supervisor. Clubs are provided withall the necessary tools needed to carry out mainte-nance work. Each club has elected leaders and abank account for receipts of monthly paymentsbased on performance.

Key activities under road maintenance include:

Pothole fillingClearing of bushesDrainage maintenance and silt clearing

The cost of road maintenance is approximatelyUS$250 per km per year with 85% of the cost goingdirectly to club members.

Implementation Process

PrioritizationCommunity members through the DistrictAssembly identify the roads and bridges. TheGoM/EU PWP works on the availed priorities byconducting site surveys and taking an inventory ofworks to be done. The survey results are used fordesign works and to compile tender documents.

Tender ProcurementThe tenders are advertised in the local press tosmall and medium scale contractors who are regis-tered with the National Construction IndustryCouncil (NCIC). Bridge works require establishedand experienced contractors. All interested biddersattend a Compulsory Management Unit meetingduring which issues regarding instructions to thetender bidders, conditions of contract, particulartechnical specifications, standard drawings andparticular specification for employment of localworkforce are discussed.

Tender Evaluation and Contract AwardSubmitted tenders are publicly opened and areevaluated using the European Development Fund(EDF) guidelines looking at administrative, techni-

cal and financial factors. The successful bidder isawarded the contract through official letters and thelocal press. The road or bridge to be rehabilitatedis thereafter handed over to the successful bidders(contractors).

Community MobilizationOnce the contracts are awarded, the contractorsare sensitized and they mobilize resources throughthe local leaders such as the TraditionalAuthorities, group village heads or ward council-lors. Sensitization emphasizes land issues, meth-ods to use, extent of road to be rehabilitated, whoto employ and the need for the activity. It is arequirement that at least 40% of the workersemployed are women.

Contract Management and Site Supervision

The first 100 metres of road for rehabilitation isused as a training ground for contractors, there-after the contractors continue work on their own.After demonstrating, the programme engineers andsupervisors conduct routine site supervision of thecontractors. During supervision, the engineers andsupervisors check that activities are done accord-ing to specifications and that the contractors areadhering to their budget.

Payment for the workforce (labourers) is done fort-nightly and is based on tasks completed. Paymentfor the contractor is based on compliance to speci-fications and standards with payment certificatescompiled for approval and processing. The payroll,which is attached to payment certificate, is verifiedwith the workforce on the ground to ensure that thecontractor has paid them.

EXPECTED BENEFITSUpon successful completion of the programme, thefollowing benefits are expected:

Better and quicker accessibility to rural healthcentres, schools and markets;Job creation for the community members;Contractors exposed to higher constructionstandards through detailed specifications anddrawings;Road construction experience gained by com-munity members for similar programme infuture; andLess vehicle maintenance and travel costs dueto better road conditions.

Malawi T2 Centre Vol: 2. Number 1 66

THE GOVERNMENT OFMALAWI/EUROPEAN UNION

ROADS WORKS COMPONENT UNDER

DEVELOPING COUNTRIESBy Dr. Galal A. Ali

Road Pavement Technologies and Applicability in

77Malawi T2 Centre Vol: 2. Number 1

In recent decades significant technological advances havebeen developed and introduced worldwide in the field ofroad pavement industry. The main objectives of this

paper are to present an overview of the latest issues anddevelopments in the design and road engineers and practi-tioners in the field of highway engineering [Figs. 1, 2].Popular innovations in pavement evaluation, maintenance,rehabilitation [Fig. 3, Eqn. of Fig. 4, & Photos 5, 6] anddesign of overlays [Fig. 7] are presented. Asphalt pavementrecycling and use of non-traditional road construction mate-rials are included [Photo 8]. The advent and implications ofusing foamed asphalt in cold-mix recycling in road mainte-nance in Africa are emphasized. Of particular interest con-sideration is the status and experience in developing coun-tries compared to those practices. The study also providestreatment of potential applicability of these technologies inAfrica. Regional initiatives are undertaken by country group-ings such as the fourteen countries of the Southern AfricaDevelopment Community (SADC). The SADC has recentlydeveloped and launched a design guide for low-volumesealed roads of the trunk road network as defined by theSADC Southern Africa Transport and CommunicationsCommission (SATCC). Although traffic analysis and projec-tion are similar to the mechanistic and the TransportResearch Laboratory (TRL) procedures, the design approachbasically follows TRL Road Note 31. On the other hand, theroad subgrade is characterized by the conventional parame-ters of California Bearing Ratio and the Dynamic ConePenetrometer. The development of the design catalogue hasbeen based on current practice considered appropriate forthe region such as the South African TechnicalRecommendations for Highways TRH42. The documentsdeveloped by SATCC contain five volumes which includeroad and bridge design, specifications and rehabilitation.Economic considerations for relying on such regional specifi-cations and standards are discussed. Cost items includeexpensive equipment and facilities for laboratory and accel-erated full-scale testing which are difficult to justify for theroad network with low-to-medium traffic level in most coun-tries of the region.

Key Words: Pavement Design; Maintenance andRehabilitation; Emerging Technologies

Fig. 1: Pavement PerformanceComponents

Fig. 2: PavementFailure / DesignCriteria

Fig. 3: Road Conditionand Timing ofRehabilitation(Adapted FromFHWA)

Eqn. Fig. 4:Maintenance &RehabilitationPriority Index

Photo 5: Pavement Pre-mature Failure

Photo 6: Pavement EvaluationEquipment (From FHWA)

SNOL = SNy - (FRL x SNxeff)Fig. 7: Overlay DesignMethod

Photo 8: RecyclableMaterial

Road Pavement Technologies and Applicability in

Professor and Consultant Engineer, Technical Assistance Expert, Ministry of Transport and Public Works, Private Bag 316, Capital City, Lilongwe 3, MALAWI, Fax: +265 1 774986 / 1 789328, Tel: + 265 1 789107 (O-DL) Cell: +265 8 358044 / 9 300575 E-mail: ga03ali@yahoo.com

What is the Problem Here?

Dynatest FWD

Introduction

At the end of the service-lifetime of a road, whenthe damaged pavement can not anymore fulfillits purpose of a comfortable carrier of traffic, theroad pavement must be renewed. In this coun-

try the most common renewal technique of the roadpavement is the treatment of potholes, which manypeople have criticised as being ineffective. When enough monatory resources are available, thatroad pavement renewal is done either by removingthe materials from the old road and constructing anew one, or by other rehabilitation and reconstructiontechniques including recycling. The first solution is expensive although widely usedwith severe environmental drawbacks, as it involvesthe creation of huge amounts of demolition wastesand the consumption of equal amounts of new mate-rials (gravel, sand, bitumen or cement). The other solution (pavement rehabilitation includingrecycling of the road materials in place) is a muchmore sustainable solution of road construction.This article dwells on the experience of insitu pave-ment recycling on the Blantyre-Chikwawa road per-formed by Group 5 International in 2001 and discuss-es the lessons that Malawi learnt or missed. In 2001 Group 5 International, a South African con-struction company were involved in the rehabilitationof many roads in the City of Blantyre includingBlantyre-Chikwawa road among the many projects.The contractor also built Hotel Victoria, Shoprite com-plex and the new look Ryalls Hotel in the City ofBlantyre.

Blantyre-Chikwawa Road Rehabilitation WorksOn the Blantrye-Chikwawa road, the works involvedrehabilitation of the existing pavement by patching thepothole and resealing the road in addition to reinstat-

ing the damaged drainage facilities. The total roadlength was 47km from Catholic Institute to KamuzuBridge on the Shire River in Chikwawa. The first 4kilometres from Catholic Institute and the last 7 km ofthe road were so bad that the contract demandedremoval of the existing material and replacing withnew one. The contractor proposed to recycle theexisting material by a technique called "insitu cold mixmilling" taking advantage of the equipment which wasdoing similar work in the City of Blantrye claiming thatit was faster and cheaper than conventional methodearlier proposed in the document. The client and con-sultant were uncertain at the idea but later consentedto the contractor's proposal.The author has a first hand experience with thismethod by the contractor since he was among theconsultant's team who supervised the rehabilitation ofthe road. On the Blantyre-Chikwawa road, traffic counts per-formed in January 2000 gave a cumulative number ofequivalent standard axle of 0.33 million ESA.The first four kilometers of the road had two distinctpavement structures; waterbound macadam andcrushed stone base. This section was set for recy-cling. The Wirtgen machine was used to do the operations.Before the process, the existing road potholes werefilled with sand and gravel, then the surface wassprayed with a cement blanket at 1.5% mix by weight.The hot 80/100-pen bitumen was drawn from a tankerin front of the Wirtgen and into the Recycler's com-puter controlled bitumen pumps, where it wasmetered into special expansion chambers on eachnozzle. A small-predetermined quantity of water froma water bowser in front of the bitumen distributor,combined with a jet of compressed air, was injectedinto each nozzle chamber to foam up the bitumen toover 15 times its original volume, which was then eject-ed directly into the mix. Individual nozzles could be

Malawi T2 Centre Vol: 2. Number 1 88

I N S I T U C O L D M I X M I L L I N GI N S I T U C O L D M I X M I L L I N G

THE BLANTYRE-CCHIKWAWA ROADBBYY GGRROOUUPP 55 IINNTTEERRNNAATTIIOONNAALLBy By Ashley Kanyoza;Ashley Kanyoza; Lecturer in Geotechnical Engineering, The Polytechnic, P/Bag 303, Blantyre 3akanyoza@poly.ac.mw

ofof

Malawi T2 Centre Vol: 2. Number 1 9

switched off to match the width of road being treated. Allthe ingredients were thoroughly mixed together toreconstitute and strengthen the old roadbase.The contractor's team followed on directly behind theRecycler taking and testing samples of the strengthenedmixture before and after compaction. The consultantalso closely monitored the testing. The tests that werecarried out were Marshall Stability and Flow; IndirectTensile Stiffness and Indirect Tensile Strength (ITS).The rejuvenated mat was compacted, reprofiled, andlevelled with the motor grader prior to the roller finallycompacting the recycled road base to the specifiedmean density. After final rolling the strengthened andstabilized recycled road base was left to cure for 36hours prior to covering with the double chip seal surfacefinish, even though traffic could use it immediately afterrolling.The process could also be performed even during peri-ods of light rains; a case to remember is the Glyn JonesRoad, which was treated during periods of heavy rains.The road did not become muddy and remained strongand stable even through traffic could use it immediatelyafter treatment.Conclusion

The in-situ recycling technique has major cost and envi-ronmental benefits as it was about 20% cheaper andgenerally 50% faster than conventional repair methodsof taking out and transporting the spoil to tip and import-ing new quarry material. The process proved also to befar more environmentally friendly, and far less disruptiveto traffic and local residents. The recycling techniquecould also cut the number of lorry movements needed totake spoil off site to tip and import with new materials.Even though Group 5 is not in town, this technologyshould have been documented and papers written byengineers from Blantyre City Assembly, National RoadsAuthority or the Ministry of Transport and Public Worksfor future review so that this technology could be appliedto our roads that are in bad shape.If we are to do the conventional treatment to MasaukoChipembere Road, Mahatma Ghandi Road or MoiRoad in the City of Blantyre for example, how muchtrouble would that bring to traffic and the public.Pavement recycling could be the answer

The Directorate of Road Traffic isa regulatory arm of the Ministryof Transport and Public Works,

responsible for all matters relating toroad transportation, as well as issuespertaining to the implementation ofpolicies and directions sanctionedunder various Regional andInternational Conventions such asSADC. As a technical wing of theMinistry, the Directorate also plays acrucial role in the provision of adviso-ry services to other government insti-tutions and stakeholders in roadtransport industry.

The mandate of the Directorate isprescribed in the Road Traffic Act(1997) which provides a legal frame-work for the Road Transport Industry.Under this Act, the Directorate ofRoad Traffic is charged with theresponsibility to administer regulato-ry provisions governing MotorVehicle Administration, DriverLicensing Administration, OperatorAuthorization and Permit Control andother issues related to traffic man-agement and control. TheDirectorate's authority is furtherderived from the provisions of theNational Transport Policy Document(November 2000).The advent of multiparty politics inMalawi in the early 90's marked thebeginning of a new era of market lib-eralization. The country experiencedinflux of second hand vehicles

imported from foreign markets suchas South Africa and Dubai, hence arapid expansion in motorization dur-ing the period.

Coupled with problems relating toinstitutional capacity and technologi-cal advancement, the Directoratecould not cope with the ever growingvehicle population in Malawi. Toaddress this problem, the Directorateembarked on ComputerizationProject in 2000. Under the projectmost of the Directorate's functionsand processes are automated. It wasenvisaged that this would improveefficiency and substantially preventproliferation of fake licensing docu-ments through which theGovernment has been losing hugesums of revenue in the past.

After automation of road traffic func-tions and process, the Directoratewith the assistance from theDepartment of Human ResourceManagement and Development con-ducted functional and institutionalreviews. Following that exercise, theDirectorate has new organizationalstructure.The Computerization Project has sofar been successful in that produc-tion of fake vehicles and Driver lin-censes has been minimized and theannual revenue collections haveover the last few years sharplyincreased.

In an effort to pursue concept ofdecentralization, the Directorate iscurrently extending its services atdistrict level. In light of this, it hasalready opened vehicle inspectioncentres throughout the country. ThePlant and Vehicle Hire Organisationcenters are in some designated(P.V.H.O) offices and vehicle inspec-tors have been deployed to thesestations to discharge vehicle inspec-tory services. The Directorate alsointends to open fully-fledged officesin other districts such as Zomba andMangochi in the South, Kasungu inthe Centre and Karonga in theNorthern Region.

The Directorate's expectation is thatby bringing road traffic services clos-er to motorists it will not only broad-en the revenue collection base butalso enhance compliance rate there-by promoting road safety in the coun-try.

CHALLENGES

Despite the Directorate's efforts inimproving operations of the roadtransport industry through thesereforms and programmes, it contin-ues to be besieged by various prob-lems ranging from inadequate finan-cial capacity for undertaking suchprogrammes to lack of well-trainedpersonnel.

ROAD TRAFFIC DIRECTORATEREFORMS AND PROGRAMMES IN THE DIRECTORATE OF ROAD TRAFFIC By Symon Maliko,Symon Maliko, Senior Road Traffic Officer, RTD

Malawi T2 Centre Vol: 2. Number 1 1100

There are four 'relatively' affordable intermediate meansof transport (IMT) available to Malawi's subsistencefarming communities, and to its rapidly growing urbanpoor. Bicycles, the commonest IMTs in Malawi, whileergonomically efficient, have few domestic or agricultur-al applications as they lack the box-body needed to con-veniently carry heavy, bulky loads such as water, fire-wood, and harvested crops. Moreover, bicycles havetraditionally been 'off-limits' to women. Wheelbarrowscost about as much as bicycles and have a large volu-metric capacity. Unlike bicycles, however, wheelbar-rows are ergonomically inefficient, requiring the operatorto lift half the combined weight of the vehicle and its con-tents and to balance it laterally. Furthermore, most havewheels with crude high-friction bearings and solid orsemi-pneumatic high-hysteresis tyres. Ox- and donkey-carts are an order of magnitude more expensive thaneither bicycles or wheelbarrows, and draught animalsadd to their expense. Oxcarts are unwieldy, their carry-ing capacity is far in excess of the majority of subsis-tence farmstead requirements, their speed is no morethan that of the wheelbarrow, and, as with bicycles,there is a cultural bias against their use by women.

Despite these drawbacks, the development communityhas focused its efforts on oxcart dissemination, but, notsurprisingly, oxcart uptake has been minimal.Farmsteads of less than one hectare cannot sustain thefamilies living on them, let alone a family's draught ani-mals, and tsetse fly infestation poses a further con-straint. These several factors have operated to limit

oxcart ownership to one cart per 400 Malawians, andthey will continue to impose severe limits on such own-ership.

Given the substantial limitations of bicycles, wheelbar-rows, and oxcarts, what affordable wheeled transporttechnology is available to assist poor Malawians? I pro-pose the lightweight handcart as the transport technolo-gy of choice, and suggest that we direct our efforts totransferring handcart technology to Malawi, in particular,and to sub-Saharan Africa in general.

A handcart is fundamentally different from a wheelbar-row, having two wheels, one on either side of the cart.Because the high-volumetric-capacity box body and itsload are balanced over the axis of the wheels, the oper-ator neither lifts nor laterally balances the combinedweight, as in a wheelbarrow, but simply propels it. Thecart's two wheels are of relatively large diameter, rollingover depressions smaller diameter wheelbarrow wheelssink into. Handcarts wheels have low- hysteresis pneu-matic tyres and anti-friction ball bearing hubs. Handcartsare lightweight and convenient to use. Handcarts are soergonomically efficient that during official trials atChitedze Research Station in 1998, Malawian womenand even primary school children of average physiqueeasily transported 100-kilogram loads at a rate of 4 kilo-meters per hour.

Why are handcarts essentially unknown in Malawi?One reason is the development community's

HandcarHandcar ts:ts:The Most Appropriate Transportation Technology for Transfer to MalawiArnold PArnold P. W. Wendrofendroff, Ph.D.f, Ph.D., Malawi Handcart Project www.malawihandcartproject.org

Transportation technology transfer policymakers in Malawi are focusing their efforts onextending the benefits of wheeled transport to subsistence farm families, the backbone ofMalawi's agriculture-based economy. Most of these often female-headed householdshave no wheeled transport of their own, and minimal access to public transport. Virtually

all of their domestic water supply, firewood, and farm inputs and outputs are moved by head-loading, which is both economically inefficient and physically debilitating. With per capitaincomes under 200 dollars per year, their wheeled transport options are few.Four designs of handcarts:

1111Malawi T2 Centre Vol: 2. Number 1

Eurocentric mindset. African development has beendominated by European concepts and by European-trained experts having minimal familiarity with andexpertise in handcart applications. Their focus hastended to be on capital-intensive transport modalitieswhich, unfortunately and for obvious reasons, havelargely failed to meet the needs of Africa's subsistencefarmers. Although handcarts are a major transportmodality in both rural and urban Asia, relatively fewAsian development experts have worked in Africa.(Nevertheless, it is odd that neither the Taiwanese agri-culture development experts working in Malawi sincethe 1960's, nor their Chinese counterparts in neighbor-ing Tanzania and Zambia, have acted to introduce intoAfrica the handcart technology so widely and effectivelyin use in their own countries. Ironically, both Taiwan andChina export handcarts and their wheel sets to Europeand North America!)

In addition to the reasons cited above, lightweight hand-carts are rarely found in Malawi or elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa in large part because conventional hand-cart wheels and axles are simply not available.Recognizing this constraint, in 2000 I developed theAfriCart handcart design that could be built by local car-penters with hand tools and using the ordinary 28-inchbicycle wheels available throughout Malawi. Thewheels are carried in a wooden frame or chassis, shar-ing a common axis but not a common axle. A similardesign is used in the hand-powered steel 'polio tricycles'found throughout Malawi. The chassis supports awooden box-body having short handles affixed at itsrear and a sliding gate at the front. (The handlearrangement is based on the assumption that the cart isto be pushed European style rather than pulled in theAsian fashion. For pulling, longer handles can beattached at what then becomes the cart's front end.) Aretractable wooden stand affixed to the chassis supportsthe cart and its contents when stationary. All compo-nents, fasteners, and materials are readily available inrural markets. When available, stronger 12 gauge (asopposed to the common 14 gauge) spokes areemployed, allowing the AfriCart to safely transport over150 kilograms, a far higher load than headloading orwheelbarrows allow and with far less effort.

However, the AfriCart design is far from being an optimalhandcart, as bicycle wheels, even with 12 gaugespokes, are still relatively delicate, and the requisitechassis adds weight and expense. The AfriCart designis simply a way to adapt Africa's only available, afford-able, and ergonomically efficient wheels to a handcartdesign when more rugged handcart wheels mounted ona common thick steel axle are not to be had. Recentnegotiations have convinced "SinoLink-Malawi," a dis-tributor of Chinese agricultural machinery with offices inBlantyre and Lusaka, to import purpose-built handcartwheel and axle sets into Malawi. The company's Beijingheadquarters recently offered "to send some Chineseexperts to help local workers to assemble handcartsfrom Chinese imported components, as well as helpthem to build local small workshops and larger factories

to build handcarts for local and more distant markets."This generous offer has been forwarded to Malawi'sMinistry of Industry, Science and Technology in the hopethat that agency will assist in disseminating this technol-ogy throughout Malawi, creating a handcart industrywith attendant employment opportunities.

In the interim, the AfriCart and its welded steel counter-parts are being manufactured in small workshops fromBlantyre to Mzuzu (see listing below). The Malawi RuralTravel and Transport Programme (MRTTP) tested six-teen early model AfriCarts, and in 2003 reported that"the introduction of the Malawi Handcart has alsorelieved the burden of head and shoulder loading and ithas been taken as an alternative to the bicycle for heavycarriage for both business and domestic use." TheMinistry of Agriculture is about to certify AfriCarts as anapproved agricultural technology. AfriCarts were award-ed third prize and first prize respectively in the farmmechanization category at the 2003 and 2004 NationalAgriculture Fairs held in Lilongwe and Blantyre.

Handcarts are a mature technology, in use in countriesaround the world. Now is the time for this technology tobe transferred to Malawi's rural and urban poor.Malawi's economic situation is rapidly worsening, andwidespread handcart availability can play a crucial rolein turning the economy around and fostering the ruraland urban development needed to enhance the eco-nomic, domestic, and personal lives of Malawians.What other wheeled transport technology with signifi-cant uptake potential is available to subsistence farm-ers? A serious discussion of this technology is warrant-ed. We need to convene a conference of stakeholdersdrawn from relevant ministries, NGOs, and commercialinterests, including agriculture, water supply, gender,health, HIV/AIDS, forestry, industry, education, vocation-al training, and transport, to discuss how Malawi canacquire handcart technology. Participants would dis-cuss how handcarts can help in achieving their organi-zations' goals, and suggest how their ministries, NGOs,and businesses can assist in promoting handcart use.

Further sources of information, and/or to order an AfriCart (* handcart builder /** component stockist)

Blantyre* - Ellaton Mkwate, Malawi Handcart Project 01 667-880 guildbook-binder@yahoo.com Limbe* - George Malunga, BSc, SinoLink Malawi 01 644-128 sinolinkmalawi@vip.sina.comChitedze* - Chika Mughogho, Malawi Handcart Project 09 280-547wanyalaos@yahoo.comChitedze - Wells Kumwenda, MSc, Chitedze Research Station 01 707-224 farmesamalawi@sdnp.org.mw Lilongwe - Jepthah Chagunda, MSc. MRTTP 01 754-766 mrttp@malawi.netLilongwe - Grace Malindi, PhD, Agriculture Extension Services 01 756-522Lilongwe** - Afzal Chunara, Choonara Highway Emporium 01 726-405che786@globemw.netLilongwe* - George Godinho, Durobloc Limited 01 752-006Bunda - Elisha Vitsitsi, MSc, Bunda College of Agriculture 01 277-223 gvitsit-si@yahoo.comMchinji* - Mussa Balakazi, Rizik Metal Works 09 303-509 Mponela* - Charles Kazembe, MBA MEDI 01 286-244 medi@liccom.net Champhira* - Peter Mugunta P.O. Box 105Mzuzu* - Hastings Mkandawire, Malawi Handcart Project 09 351-319 , hast-ingskmkandawire@yahoo.com U.S.A.-Arnold Wendroff, PhD, Malawi Handcart Project 1 718 499-8336 mer-curywendroff@mindspring.com

Malawi T2 Centre Vol: 2. Number 1 1122

IIt has become a common feature nowadaysthat before conferences and big meetingsstart, a moment of silence is observed in

memory of those who have succumbed to roadaccidents. Indeed the moment can be a heartbreaking one when one remembers colleaguesand friends who have lost their lives throughroad accidents.

Malawi is one of the countries which indicate highstatistical figures of road accidents of which arethreatening to reverse the enormous economic,social and political achievements realized by thecountry. Accidents cost the government a whoop-ing K3.3 billion yearly and an average of 200 per-sons killed per 10,000 vehicles out of a vehiclepopulation of approximately 300,000.

The Malawi Police as a whole and the traffic branchin particular chose not to give a blind eye to thissad development. This saw the extensive and con-ducive implementation of new traffic enforcementtechniques of which was approached by anincrease in traffic personnel. The increase in trafficpersonnel helped to minimize the improper rationof traffic officer to motor vehicle.

In addition to this, in view of the foregoing and toprove it's pro-activeness in curbing down road acci-dents, the traffic police department intensified traf-fic checks and point duties so as to scrutinize theroadworthiness, documentation and free flowing ofmotor vehicles on our roads. TV/Radio pro-

grammes and road safety programmes are alsosome of the activities that the traffic police intro-duced so as to civic educate the statisticallyrevealed vulnerable groups of people. These initia-tives have tremendously decreased the shockingfigures of road accidents in a back somersaultmanner.

As we all are aware that accidents do not just occurbut they are caused and that there are a lot of fac-

tors or rather parties that contribute to the occur-rence of road accidents. Traffic Officers are there toenforce that traffic law on the Roads of Malawi,which is their responsibility. It is shocking to learnthat whenever an accident occurs people and evenorganizations start pointing fingers at traffic depart-ment. We must always remember and it should set-tle in our minds that every Malawian citizen has inone way or the other a responsibility to preventroad accidents. Therefore, it is the Traffic PoliceDepartment's suggestion that, if we really are tosave could be victims, we should rather get busyperforming our responsibilities than searching forwhom to point fingers at.

For instance, Motor Vehicle Owners have aresponsibility to ensure that their motor vehicle isroad worth at all times, it is fully documented andthat they employ drivers who are sane and haveproper documents i.e. drivers license. Talkingabout vehicle owners, it has been learnt that mostminibus owners give target amounts to their driversto say "make sure you bring K10, 000 each day orelse you are fired." This automatically forces thedriver to be over speeding and driving recklessly,thereby jumping into avoidable accidents of whichthe causer is the Motor Vehicle Owner.

The Drivers on the other hand, have a majorresponsibility of driving with full compliance to thehighway code and the road traffic signs and toexercise maximum competence and professional-ism bearing in mind that they are carrying innocentlives. They should also drive with due care andconsideration to other road users. Out of all thecauses of road accidents 75% of these accidents iscaused by human error, mostly of the drivers. Thisshows that drivers ought to be very responsible onour roads.

WHOM TO BBBB LLLL AAAA MMMM EEEEBy CCCCoooonnnnssssttttaaaabbbblllleeee HHHHaaaassssssssaaaannnn DDDDeeeezzzz iiiioooo Traffic Public Relations Officer

1133Malawi T2 Centre Vol: 2. Number 1

It should also be borne in our minds that it is everypassenger's responsibility and right to caution a dri-ver whenever such drivers start over speeding ordriving recklessly, or if necessary drop from such avehicle and ask for a fee of the remaining distance,then report such driver to police. To the contrary,you find that most passengers prompt drivers toover speed, pretending to be rushing for an impor-tant meeting or that they are against time. If one isrushing or is against time he hires a taxi period.

Traffic Branch like any other branch has stakehold-ers with whom it shares the responsibility of pre-venting road accidents, the czar of all being theRoad Traffic Directorate. The Directorate plays avery big role as far as accident prevention is con-cerned by ensuring that every motor vehicle oper-ating on the public road is fully documented. Butstill there are some areas that the managementneed to look into, for instance there are some vehi-cles in dangerous condition which are possessingfake certificates of fitness. They are finding it easyto forge this document just because the writingmaterial used on this document easily faints whenexposed to the sun and this makes it very difficultfor traffic police officers to inspect. Who, where andhow they obtained such fake certificates remainsour food for thought and subject for investigation.Most accidents are happening due to brake failuresand defectiveness of construction equipment anduse mechanisms of which the blame goes to inno-cent enforcers.

The second stakeholder in term of accident pre-vention being the National Roads Authority which isalso doing a creditable job indeed, by constructing

roads and road features so as to ensure smoothflowing of traffic. Talking about construction, thereis a vital need of cycle tracks to save the lives ofour pedal cyclists who are being hit like stray dogsby monopoly minded drivers. There is also need forbarriers on areas where people trade on publicroad. The maintenance of roads which is done inour cities should also extend to remote areaswhere we are losing a lot of lives due to multiplepotholes that forces drivers to drive on pedestrianwalks.

Much as we appreciate the commendable jobbeing performed by the National Road SafetyCouncil of Malawi in giving civic education to theMalawian masses, we should also point out that itis now high time that they target much the minibusdrivers, pedestrians and pedal cyclists of whichstatistics have shown that they are the most vul-nerable victims of road accidents due to negligenceand lack of knowledge of traffic law respectively.

On the same note, the Minibus Owners Associationought to discipline their drivers against exceedingcarrying capacity/speed limits. In this way they aregoing to save more lives and prove their existencerather than chipping in only when there is tight traf-fic enforcement.

The Malawi Police Service through its communitybased policing programme is ready to work hand inhand with the general public and its various stake-holders in both crime and road accident prevention.Let's unite in making Malawi a crime and accidentfree nation

The following are new additions to thelibrary collections: SADC Guidelines onLow Volume Sealed Roads, Manual onthe Construction of Footbridges,Integrated Rural Accessibility Planning(IRAP) Modular Training Package,Manual on Uniform Traffic ControlDevices- Millennium Edition, ResearchReports on Safety, Transportation Data,Non-motorized transport, StructuralDesign Issues, Transit IntermodalTransfer Facilities etc. In all over 100new titles have been added to the list.

Technological practices are alwayschanging and it is only those countriesand individuals who keep abreast of thetimes that are enjoying life - do not beleft out of the exciting times!

Mw T2 CENTRE TRAINING UPDATEThis newsletter has carried a number ofarticles on various issues that impact onour lives be it safety, economy, technol-ogy choices etc. There is however acommon denominator, namely, trainingof implementation officers. The Centrehas advertised and conducted a num-ber of courses that have received notvery satisfactory participationfrom contractors and consul-tants. This is worrisome becausethe general public has ques-tioned the quality of services onour transportation system be iton radio or newspapers.The Centre has listed morecourses that are aimed atenriching the skills and techno-logical know in the transporta-

tion personnel. It is expectation thatthose concerned will engage only thosethat attend training courses be it from TCentre, National Construction IndustryCouncil or other training providers - thebottom line is TRAINING.

What's up at T2 Centre Library?

MALAWI TRANSPORTTATION TECHNOLOGY CENTRE

1144

The National Roads Authority (NRA) wasestablished through an Act of ParliamentNo. 13 of 16th May 1997. It is responsiblefor the maintenance, rehabilitation and

development of designated public roads usingfunds from the Road Fund. NRA's vision is that by the year 2020 the Malawipublic road network is developed and maintainedup to a standard where all motorized and non-motorized traffic can reach every society of thecountry in adequate, safe, reliable, efficient, eco-nomic and environmentally friendly manner at alltimes of the year. Its main business areas include: Planning: which oversees planning of road pro-grammes, reviewing feasibility studies and detailedengineering design of road projects, axle load con-trol, environmental management of road projectsas well as management of Information Systems. Procurement: which is responsible for procuring ofthe institution's works, goods and services. All thisis done in accordance with the Public ProcurementGuidelines, NRA being a public institution. Central Roads: which oversees implementation ofroad programmes involving the main, secondaryand tertiary road network. Urban and District roads: which oversees imple-mentation of road programmes involving the urbanand district road network. NRA's main activities are: Routine Maintenance: this involves pothole patch-ing, grading, repairing the shoulders of the road,drainage-cleaning and grass cutting. Periodic Maintenance: which comprises resealingof paved roads, gravelling unpaved roads, puttingup road signs and road markings. Rehabilitation: this includes the reconstruction offailed sections of any road Road Construction: this includes upgrading ofearth roads to bitumen standard, as well as con-struction of new roads including new bridges. Sources of Funding The NRA manages roads as on behalf of govern-ment through funding from the fuel levy and otherroad user charges. The levy is collected on every

litre of petrol and diesel imported into the country.Currently, this levy is at K8.70 per litre for petroland 6.70 per litre for diesel. For the backlog maintenance, rehabilitation, andconstruction works, donor agencies and money-lending institutions and government counterpartfunding fund these. Some of these donors and money-lending institu-tions include: European Union, World Bank, AfricanDevelopment Bank, Jica of Japan, Kfw, KuwaitFund, OPEC, BADEA, and the NordicDevelopment Fund, among others. The Malawi Public Road Network The National Roads Authority is responsible for themaintenance of the public road network, which isclassified into five categories, namely main roads,secondary roads, tertiary roads, urban roads anddistrict roads.

Classification of the Malawi Public Road Networkby Road Class and Pavement Type as of June2004

In functional terms, the Main, Secondary andTertiary roads effectively make up the country's pri-mary road network, with district and other undesig-nated roads acting as a feeder system to the pri-mary network.

Major projects currently in progress.The 88Km Masasa-Golomoti-Monkey-bay road The 4 Bridges project comprising Kalwe Bridgeon the Mzuzu - Nkhata-bay road, the Lisasadzibridge on the Lilongwe - Kasungu road and the

By PPoorr tt iiaa KKaajjaannggaa,, Public Relations Officer

NNAATTIIOONNAALL RROOAADDSS AAUUTTHHOORRIITTYY''SSNNAATTIIOONNAALL RROOAADDSS AAUUTTHHOORRIITTYY''SS

BBBB uuuu ssss iiii nnnn eeee ssss ssss ,,,, AAAA cccc tttt iiii vvvv iiii tttt iiii eeee ssss ,,,,CCCC hhhh aaaa llll llll eeee nnnn gggg eeee ssss aaaa nnnn dddd CCCC oooo nnnn ssss tttt rrrr aaaa iiii nnnn tttt ssss

NNAATTIIOONNAALL RROOAADDSS AAUUTTHHOORRIITTYY''SS

Pavement TypeRoad Class Paved Unpaved Total(Km)

(Km) (Km)

Main 2,809 548 3,357Secondary 407 2,718 3,125Tertiary 44 4,077 4,121District 8 3,492 3,500Urban 770 578 1,348Total 4,038 11,413 15,451

1155Malawi T2 Centre Vol: 2. Number 1

Liwaladzi and Kasangadzi bridges on the M 5between Nkhota-kota and Dwangwa The 46Km Limbe - Chisitu road The 2.2 Km length of roads in Makata IndustrialArea in Blantyre.The 4.5 Km Kenyatta Drive in Blantyre The 3.6 Km Chilambula road in Lilongwe The concrete decked Likuni Bridge The 33 Km Mponela - Ntchisi road The 16 Km Kamphata - Nkhoma road The 1.3 Km Area 18 round about - Area 49(Gulliver) road

Challenges and Constraints A good road infrastructure network plays a crucial role ingovernment's effort to alleviate poverty and sustain eco-nomic growth. A good network also reduces transportcosts, lowers vehicle operations costs and travel timeand increases accessibility to markets. It is the intentionof MoTPW through NRA to ensure that governmentachieves its objective of having a reliable road network. A number of challenges and constraints are howeverbeing met in the course of fulfilling this objective, someof which are as follows:

Insufficient funding There is always an ever-increasing demand for mainte-nance works against income levels that are insufficientto meet the demand. The income from the fuel levy isnot enough to meet the demand. According to World Bank studies, for a country to main-tain its road network to a sustainable level, the fuel levymust be at least US$0.10 (MK11.00 per litre atexchange rate US$1.00=MK110.00). This is a majorissue that the general public fails to appreciate. But itmust be understood that the economic costs of post-poning road maintenance are largely borne by the roadusers through higher vehicle operating costs andincreased travel times. Research has shown that whena road is allowed to deteriorate from good to poor con-dition, each denied-dollar- needed for road maintenanceincreases vehicle operating costs by as much as US$3.

Construction Capacity ShortfallsLack of capacity in the construction industry in terms of

financial and human resources is another challenge thatNRA faces. The majority of contractors and consultantsin the industry either do not have the financial muscle forincreased capacity building in terms of plant and equip-ment let alone the necessary qualified technical person-nel in terms of engineers and inspectors which is a pre-requisite for ensuring achievement of the desired quali-ty of works. This leads to delays in completion of works,often leading to time overruns which not only is aninconvenience to the general public but also to NRA interms of contract administration. In an effort to improvethe situation, NRA is working with government, theNational Construction Industrial Council (NCIC) andmajor donors like the EU and the World Bank to improvethe capacity of local contractors and consultants throughtraining programmes, domestic preference and appro-priate packaging of contracts.

Lack of respect for road reserve by the General public Another problem that NRA faces is the lack of respect bythe general public of the road reserve. According to thePublic Roads Act (Cap. 69:02), where any existing roadis designated as a public road the land within the bound-aries of the road reserve is supposed to be free fromencroachment. The road reserve width is:

For a main road, 60 metres; For a secondary road, 36 metres; For a district road, 36 metres; For branch and estate roads, 18 metres.

The centerline of the road reserve is the centerline of thecarriageway of the road so that for a main road, no oneshould build a structure 30 metres from the centerline ofthe road. In many instances, along the roads in Malawi,members of the general public are constructing housesand other buildings right onto the edge of the road andsometimes even grow rice in the drains of a road.

This encroachment is not only unlawful and a safetyhazard, but also leads to rapid deterioration of roadsresulting from the blocked side-drains which preventsfree flow of water. Secondly it becomes very complicat-ed when the government decides to upgrade a roadthrough extension. According to the law the encroacherson a road reserve are not entitled to compensation whena road is upgraded unless there is a change in the roadclass.

The challenge for NRA in this area lies in sensitizing thegeneral public on the importance of observing the roadreserve and refusing to compensate the encroachersduring road upgrading by using the existing legal frame-work against any form of pressure.

Vandalism and Theft to Road Furniture and DrainageStructures There has been rampant vandalism and theft of variousroad furniture and drainage structures like road signs,pavement markings, guardrails, metal pipe culverts etcallover the country by the general public. Road furniturehas a very important traffic safety function and need tobe kept in good shape and order at all times to be effec-tive. On the other hand, removal of drainage steel pipesleads to road cut offs and closures that affect the travel-ling public adversely. NRA is trying its level best to sen-sitive the general public to desist from such malprac-tices.

Conclusion Since its inception, NRA has always strived to improveits service to the road users by directly dealing with thechallenges and constraints that come its way. Althoughit is clear that there will always be new challenges withtime, it is convinced that with continued support of thegeneral public, government and the donor community itwill overcome challenges. For more information contact: The Chief Executive Officer, National Roads Authority,Functional Building, Chilambula Road, Private Bag B 346, Lilongwe 3. Tel: 265-1 753 699 Fax: 2651 750307

Malawi T2 Centre Vol: 2. Number

MALAWI TRANSPORTTATION TECHNOLOGY CENTRE

1166 Graphic Designing, Typeseting & Layout: Eddons Munthali, 09 946 848, email: emunthali@poly.ac.mw

Centre Contact Information:

Mailing Address:

Malawi Transportation Technology Transfer CentreUniversity of MalawiThe PolytechnicP/Bag 303Blantyre 3Malawi.

Tel: 265-1-674944 OR 265-1-670411 Ext. 177Fax: 265-1-674944 OR 265-1-670578Email: malawit2@poly.ac.mw

Physical Address: Civil Engineering BuildingPolytechnic CampusMasauko Chipembere Highway.

Address Update

The Centre would like to keep an up-to-date mailing list. Please fill accordingly and post or fax to T2 Centre. Feel free to write to the Centre on the newsletter articles and what you want to read.

Add Delete Change

Name:........................................................................................ Your interests:

Institution: ................................................................................. Newsletter

Department: ............................................................................. Trainer

Title:........................................................................................... Other (indicate)

Address: ....................................................................................

Tel:.............................................................................................

Fax: ...........................................................................................

Email: ........................................................................................