By KASONDE KASONDE and CHILA NAMAIKO –
A TEAM of experts from the Geological Survey Department in the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development is trying to find the cause of the lateral movement of earth which damaged a 300-metre stretch on the Luangwa-Feira Road.
The damage happened on Monday night as a result of what experts say is natural earth movement, leaving scores of motorists to and from Luangwa and Feira stranded on either side of impaired stretch after authorities closed the road.
Mines and Minerals Development Permanent Secretary Paul Chanda confirmed the deployment of experts from the Geological Survey Department in an interview yesterday, saying they would compile a comprehensive report on the cause of lateral movement of the earth from the hillside which seemed to have caused the damage to the road.

• A PORTION of the Luangwa-Feira Road has experienced earth movement, causing the road to crack. The affected 300-metre stretch of the road has since been closed and experts from the Geological Survey Department sent to the area to establish the cause.

“As a ministry, we are also concerned about what happened to that road. This morning (yesterday) we sent officers from our Geological Survey Department to investigate the cause of the movement of the earth leading to damage on the road,” he said.
Mr Chanda said he was hopeful that the officers would give a report and the nation would be updated today.
Meanwhile, Luangwa acting District Commissioner Ngoni Moyo said a team of engineers from the Road Development Agency (RDA) and officers from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife that carried out an assessment in the forest to create a temporary road discovered that the area was covered with depressions.
Mr Moyo said, according to the report his office received yesterday, the section of provisional road was covered with trees and stones and could pose a danger to motorists.
“The team carried out surveys and have found out that it was impossible to create a temporary road because of huge trees, stones and depressions,” Mr Moyo said.
Council secretary Gilbert Sendama said the engineers had since recommended that the mountain be dismantled to allow the gravel and stones to be put on the edges of the road to widen it.
Mr Sendama said the alternative deviation was about 40 kilometres from the Luangwa-Feira Road and it required full rehabilitation if it was to be used by motorists.
He said the contractor, China Geo, was yet to move to the site to assess the damage and suggest a workaround.