Kole District, Uganda – Kole North MP, Dr. Samuel Opio Acuti, has constructed a bridge for his constituents in Adelogo Parish, Okwerodot Sub-county.
The residents have, over the years, faced the challenge of persistent flooding at the Omon-Anyira-Gedo bridge during the rainy season.
This has made it difficult for pupils to attend the nearby government-aided primary school and for farmers to cross to the weekly Barpiro market.
Many have been forced to use an alternative, longer route that is 2 km long, instead of the 100-meter direct route, due to the lack of a bridge. Some pupils would also miss school because of the longer distance.
Apio Florence, one of the residents, says, “Women have been undressing to cross this stream, whose water levels would sometimes rise up to 2 meters high.” She adds, “Farmers and traders have also been suffering from high transportation costs due to the longer distances they must cover to move their produce to the Barpiro market.”
The construction of the 5-meter bridge, which took two months to complete, involved earth excavation, culvert installation, head and wing wall construction, backfilling, gravelling, and compaction. The bridge has already been opened to the public, with pedestrians, motorcyclists, and vehicles already using it. Kole North MP Dr. Samuel Opio Acuti hopes to officially open the bridge in September, after final tests to assess its resilience to heavy rains are completed. Water levels that once rose to 2 meters have now dropped to less than 2 feet, thanks to the intervention.
He has called on the government to construct climate-resistant bridges and roads to mitigate the increasing flooding that is cutting off many roads and bridges.
