Traders in Rumbek market have complained over the town’s dusty roads that have forced businesses to shut down. The traders said the cloud of dust in the market has compelled most restaurants and tea places to halt operations.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Sunday, the traders appealed to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to intervene and renovate the roads. They said most residents were suffering from irritating throats, cough, flu and diarrhea infections.
Majak Mabor, a resident said the ongoing roads renovation works undertaken by UNMISS has caused too much cough and flu to the people of Rumbek town.
“Even nearby restaurants and other business are full of dust forcing them to shut down businesses because of dirt from the dusty roads,” he said.
Mabor said the roads were better off in their previous pothole status than their current dusty conditions.
“When dressed up in bright clothes, this dust will turn them red and when you put on polished shoes, they will also turn dirty and dusty,” he said.
Mabor appealed to the Lakes State Government to engage UNMISS and ensure the health of residents is factored in road construction.
Abdeziz Zacharia Mansur, a trader from Darfur, also complained of the dusty roads. “The dust is too much, we clean up our shops three times a day because of the dust on goods, clients don’t buy dusty goods,” he said.
He urged UNMISS and the government is to tarmac the road because renovation only leaves it in its dusty status.
Daniel Kon Bol, a resident of Rumbek Town, said: “What I have seen is not something good at all. People from UNMISS field office in Rumbek are the ones who brought the dust and put it near the roundabout and now it has brought us sicknesses.”
“I work here as a boda-boda rider and the cough is a result of the dust from the road is just too much,” he said.
Peter Machiek Aguek, the State Minister for Roads and Bridges, admitted that the ongoing renovation works in Rumbek town had affected residents.
“In August, they (UNMISS) brought the same material, which is not good and I condemned that material and I sent my engineer to ask them to bring good quality materials to be used in renovating the road to Wulu County. The same to this road again, they just sent their engineers who delivered materials, which are not good,” he said.
The minister said residents have been complaining of the dusty conditions of roads in Rumbek Town, adding that this has been caused by the poor quality materials used by UNMISS.
“I will tell them (UNMISS) to remove this material, which is not good and it can cause accidents sometimes because of dust. It is really bad and I condemn it as the Minister of Road and Bridges. I will talk to them to do this because the maintenance of roads is not in their hands alone, they are supposed to contact the ministry so that the ministry will contact the engineers to bring them high quality materials like good murram, ” he said.
Sergeant James Matur Kuek, a traffic police at Rumbek Town’s main roundabout, said: “We are working on two roundabouts in Rumbek Town; the Bang and Rumbek Central Prison roundabouts. UNMISS brought sicknesses to everyone including pedestrians, motorists and cyclists, the roundabouts are all dusty.”
He said it’s unbecoming and that residents have to plead with UNMISS field office in Rumbek to fix the dusty roads.
James Meen Ater, Public Health Officer, said the dusty roads have forced restaurants, tea places, and other places to close down.
“The public health department has the right to close down all these business, and all these places need to be closed down,” he said.
Ater said, “UNMISS needs to bring the real murram on the roads and not this dust. Now everyone in town is coughing. When you look at people’s clothes in the town they are dirty, clothes are red and now we have removed milk sellers from the roundabout of Rumbek market.”
He said the shops and restaurants will remain closed until the roads are properly fixed by UNMISS.
UNMISS field office in Rumbek could not immediately be reached for comment.