The chairman Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in charge of Bauchi-Gombe chapter, Alhaji Buhari Umar Batira, has said that many members of the association have opted for alternative route because of frequent culverts collapse along the Bauchi- Gombe Highway which occurred about five times this rainy season.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with our correspondent in Bauchi, Batira said before the peak of the 2022 rainy season, the members normally undertake about 30 trips per day, and regretted that this has been reduced to just about 10 per day.
He attributed it to the submerging of culverts along the route due to heavy downpour that frequently triggers flooding.
“The flooding is compounded by human activities as farmers now plant sugarcane, rice, maize, and sorghum along waterways and once there is a flood, the water normally carries along with it debris of these crops that often weaken reinforcement around the culverts, resulting in collapse of the culverts,” he said.
According to him, few members of the association who still carry out their business along the highway have now opted for Bauchi-Darazo-Dukku-Gombe which is far longer, saying the chapter has no option but to increase transport fares from N1,400 to N2,000 per trip.
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