Yei airstrip in Central Equatoria needs improvements in order to prevent accidents, according to the state minister of physical infrastructure.

Minister Jacob Aligo Lo-Ladu says the airstrip is at high risk of accidents if it is not improved. Earlier this year in Yei, a domestic flight while on landing survived an accident when it hit a bull dead on the runway with passengers on board.

Aligo says the facility is surrounded by a number of potholes, grasses and it lacks a fence.

“The airstrip is not in good shape, there are bumps and it will pose a danger to the aircrafts and the passengers. We have consulted a local construction company to grade the air strip including the runway and the parking spaces for their aircrafts,” said Aligo.

Aligo says his ministry has written to the council of ministers to approve funds for the construction works but it still lacks funds for the start of the project.

Witnesses have confirmed the deteriorated condition of the airstrip. “I actually don’t know why the government has failed to work on this airstrip. We pay a lot of money to go to Juba and don’t know whether the government is committed to development,” said one source.

He said once the airstrip is properly worked on, daily flights will start in Yei and the state government will raise a lot of money through taxes to inject into other areas of development.

Photo: Flickr/Dengpaulino