Strauss Lunyangwe
WINDHOEK – Arandis Town Council in partnership with different stakeholders intends to raise N$20 million at a fundraising gala dinner to be held on July 20 in Walvis Bay to drum up support for funds needed to build the Arandis Emergency Response and Traffic Management Centre (AERTMC) .
The road from Karibib to Walvis Bay is one of the busiest roads in the country and is increasingly accident-prone, along with the Oshivelo-Ondangwa road, as well as the notorious Okahandja-Otjiwarongo road which claims about 700 lives every year.
The stretch from Arandis to Usakos or Arandis to Swakopmund has been a thorn in the flesh for years, as many people have succumbed to injuries sustained in road accidents while being transported for medical treatment. It is in this context that the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) in partnership with the Arandis Town council (ATC) has embarked on this project since 2016 to develop and manage an emergency response and traffic management centre in Arandis.
The centre would ensure peace of mind to all motorists using the road, as it will be monitored 24/7 in order to try and prevent accidents from occurring, render improved emergency response and ensure road user compliance through use of new state-of-the-art technology.
The centre will house traffic surveillance, variable messaging, speed control and management, number plate recognition and render fire-fighting services, just to mention a few.
Chairperson of the Erongo Regional Council Hafeni Ndemula said to fully implement the initiative the total cost is estimated at N$121 million.
“The project is at a feasibility study stage and there is still a lot to be done. At this end, the Erongo Regional Council at its ordinary regional council meeting pledged to fully support this noble initiative by hosting a fundraising gala dinner,’’ he noted.
The primary objective is to reduce the number of fatalities per 100,00 inhabitants by 2022, as prescribed by the fifth National Development Plan (NDP5).
Construction is set to start by the end of this year and is expected to be completed in 2020.The dinner will be held at the Jan Wilken Stadium in Walvis Bay with a ticket to cost N$1,000 per person translating to N$10,000 per table.