Players in the local construction industry comprising engineers, architects and quantity surveyors will this afternoon visit the Aquatic Centre at Kamuzu Institute for Sports in Lilongwe and carry out an independent assessment of the facility.

The assessment follows images of damaged sections of the Aquatic Centre which went viral on social media last week.

The images show sagging of interlocking blocks.

Speaking in an interview on behalf of the grouping, Bob Mpyepyeluka, a chartered quantity surveyor, said:  “This is a fact finding mission to assess the facility following clips of damaged areas.

“The visit is scheduled for Wednesday [this] afternoon. All professionals will be available, including engineers, architects and quantity surveyors.”

Last month, the facility hosted the swimming category of the African Union Sports Council Region Five Youth Games.

Cracks are visible at the facility

During the first day of the swimming event, the diving platform collapsed, but it was later fixed and the Games went on without a hitch. 

But three weeks after the completion of the Games more footage of damage have surfaced triggering local professionals in the construction industry to do an assessment.

In an interview yesterday, Minister of Youth and Sports Richard Chimwendo Banda said he has been informed about the visit by the Ministry of Transport and Public Works.

He said: “It’s an internal issue and all is well.  You may wish to appreciate that technical  issues must be handled by technical  people as well.

“Construction is done by the Ministry of Transport and Public Works. We are a client.”

Last week, after images of the damaged facility popped up, the minister said the contractor has not yet completed works and is yet to make an official handover of the facility to government.

The K9.4 billion Aquatic Centre was constructed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and it includes an Olympic standard swimming pool and its auxiliary structures.

The project also involved construction of covered stands, rehabilitation of existing stands, construction of a double storey VIP wing, a social service block, a gym and conference hall.

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