The Roads Authority (RA) requests all road users to be extra careful when travelling on national roads. This comes as Namibia is receiving good rainfall across many parts of the country.
Heavy rains have been reported in the Kavango West, Kavango East and Zambezi regions. While the rain is good for the country, it has damaged some roads and made driving conditions difficult in certain areas.
The works and transport minister Veikko Nekundi has instructed the Roads Authority to urgently address the road between Lubata and Sachona village, which was recently cut off due to heavy rainfall.
Nekundi informed the community that a contractor will be on site, and the situation will be treated as an emergency.
RA said some roads have developed surface damage due to continuous rain.
Affected roads include the Grootfontein- Mururani Gate Road and the Rundu-Divundu road in the Kavango East region, which is currently under rehabilitation, as well as several district roads in the Zambezi region.
RA CEO Mbahupu Tjivikua said some of these roads are more than 40 years old.
Because of their age, they are more likely to be damaged during prolonged, heavy rainfall.
RA said these roads are planned for rehabilitation.
RA will repair them as part of its normal maintenance and road upgrade programmes.
Motorists are urged to reduce speed, stay alert and follow road safety rules when travelling, especially in areas affected by rain and road damage.
“Our technical and maintenance teams are on standby and will repair the affected sections as soon as weather conditions allow for safe and effective work. In the meantime, road users are strongly urged to observe and obey all traffic signs and warnings, reduce speed particularly in wet conditions, and to avoid driving through water-covered road sections, as potholes or wash-aways may be hidden beneath the surface,” Tjivikua said.
He explained that a pothole forms when rainwater seeps through cracks in the road surface, weakens the underlying layers, and, under traffic load, causes the surface to break apart.
This process is accelerated on older roads and during periods of heavy rainfall.