The Tahoua-Arlit road, called RTA or road of uranium already in a pitiful state, is seriously threatened lately.
The tributaries coming from the Aïr mountains carried away what was left of bitumen in places. So the tributary known as Telwa has caused a construction linking Arlit to Agadez to collapse, blocking the road traffic for several days before being restored last night.
A second ramp collapsed yesterday around 4 pm, following a strong rainfall recorded, on the Abalak-Tahoua road. According to Mahmoudane Idder, prefect of Abalak, reached by Sahelien.com, “the traffic is currently stopped between Abalak and Tahoua. Trucks and buses have been parked since yesterday for security reasons. The competent services are working hard to ensure that the road is operational again”.
The travelers of the bus companies currently blocked in Abalak are complaining: “the Tahoua-Arlit road is a national shame. The State must consider rehabilitating it quickly as it is the epicenter of our economy,” says Issouf Mohamed, a stranded traveler at the Abalak post.
The department of Abalak recorded yesterday afternoon, a torrential rain of 93 mm. This heavy rain caused the main road to be cut first between Agadez and Abalak at 17 km and then between Tahoua and Abalak at 13 km. Trucks and buses have been blocked for several hours and it is virtually impossible to cross. The bridge that connects Abalak and Tahoua has completely collapsed.
Ibrahim Manzo Diallo