By: Latifa Yusuf Masai
Somalilandsun – Of two people missing after rains carried away their vehicle at the Arabsiyo valley one has been recovered dead four days after the unfortunate event.
While the family of Najah Ali Dheere is content in knowing the fate of their kin the family of his disappearance colleague are gnashing their teeth in anguish for lack of evidence of death, injury or safety of their missing kin identified only as Barkad who was driver of the Khat vehicle.
The circumstances leading to this unfortunate event occurred around 25kms West of Hargeisa on the way to Gabile and 100m from Arabsiyo at a notorious scene of stuck vehicles, stranded or injured passengers that has now resulted in death.
While vehicles stranded on either side of the road due to the impassable situation caused by heavy rains that ensue with fast flowing waters the vehicle connected to this event belonged to a Khat company whose drivers are usually undeterred by whatever maladies be they natural or manmade in their hasty t deliver their cargo.
The scene here is similar to the ones at Awbarkadle and Daarbuduq on the Hargeisa Berbera Highway where missing bridges are a result of numerous reports of like mishaps for travelers and their vehicles during rainy seasons.
While the local councils are known to dispatch a caterpillar now and then to clear the tons of sand deposited by the fast moving waters that traverse the valley’s that dissect the roads in most parts of the country with the three most notorious being the ones at Arabsiyo, Awbarkadle and Daarbuduq.
Though area youths usually unemployed earn a lot of money during the rainy seasons pushing and digging out stuck vehicles in these spots, passengers stranded on either side of the road, on a simple journey at the most less than two hours are known to spend a number of extra and excruciating time awaiting for the fast flowing waters to dissipate and the local youths or council to clear the sand deposits.
The irony of all this misery is that a simple bridge would eliminate all the miseries related to stranded passengers, deaths and injuries as well as destruction to vehicles.
