Government to Build New Bridge over Albert Nile to Combat Recurrent Flooding in Pakwach Region
Government of Uganda will replace the current Pakwach Bridge, which was built in the 1960s, to tackle recurrent flooding near the Albert Nile in the Pakwach region. The new bridge will alleviate the issue of flooding that frequently prevents traffic along the Olwiyo-Pakwach road. The present bridge might also be redesigned to better handle the constantly flooded area nearby, according to Uganda National Roads Authority Executive Director Allen Kagina.
Figure 1 Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, the Minister of Works and Transport
To combat recurrent flooding, the government of Uganda is going to build a new bridge over the Albert Nile in the Pakwach region. The current Pakwach Bridge, constructed in the 1960s to link the railway with the West Nile region, will be replaced by the new bridge that is being proposed. Since then, the bridge has seen multiple cracks.
The government will reconstruct the Pakwach Bridge, according to Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, minister of works and transportation, in order to alleviate the issue of flooding near the bridge, which frequently prevents traffic along the Olwiyo—Pakwach road.
According to Gen. Katumba, they already have a plan in place to build a new bridge at Pakwach and will get started on it as soon as they have the necessary funding.
The Karuma-Olwiyo-Pakwach highway has frequently experienced major floods near Pakwach Bridge during the past four years, impacting the road intersection just 500 meters after the Pakwach Bridge in the Nwoya area.
The most recent incidence occurred in November 2022 when flood waters from the Tangi River near the Pakwach Bridge shut off several vehicles traveling to Kampala and those traveling from Karuma to Pakwach.
The present Pakwach Bridge might be redesigned to better handle the constantly flooded area nearby, according to Uganda National Roads Authority Executive Director Allen Kagina, who made the statement during a visit to Pakwach in September of 2022.
The current bridge at Pakwach, which was erected during colonial times, has long since outlived its usefulness, according to Robert Omito Steen, the chairperson of the Pakwach LCV.
