The Zimbabwean government plans to import road construction and maintenance equipment from China for rehabilitation and construction of the road network in rural communities.

Transport and Communications Minister Christopher Mushohwe was quoted on Tuesday by the Herald newspaper as saying that the government had already identified suitable road construction equipment in China.

Mushohwe said most of the equipment currently being used for the construction and servicing of rural roads had outlived its life span.

The government, Mushohwe said, was aware of the status of most roads in rural communities, adding that the rehabilitation and construction of the roads was being hampered by lack of adequate resources.

Most of the roads in the countryside are in bad condition and this had impacted negatively on the delivery of food aid to needy areas, he said.

In an effort to speed up the rehabilitation of the roads, the Zimbabwe National Road Administration last month disbursed 2 trillion Zimbabwean dollars (about 217 million US dollars) to rural district councils for the program.

It is hoped that the injection of the funds would allow smooth distribution of drought relief if the roads are upgraded.

Source: Xinhua