Bridging the Gap: linking timber trade with infrastructural ...

Figure 26
Off-road logging truck routes joining the main road (shown as flags) between the Rufiji River and
Nangurukuru town
The low proportion of tarmac roads in the study area limits timber product transport, and most trucks
prefer to keep to such primary roads, particularly in the wet season. Secondary, dirt roads are used either
to bypass checkpoints or as access routes to timber harvest or storage areas. The majority of timber
transported by road crosses the Rufiji River at the Ndundu ferry with smaller quantities crossing at Utete.
Timber traders commonly change vehicles in Nangurukuru, strategically positioned as a junction for
traffic originating from Kilwa, Lindi and Liwale Districts. Most commonly, planks are reloaded into
sealed lorries, often at night to avoid detection.
Transport across the Rufiji River
According to statistics collected by the Ministry of Works, a total of 9790 vehicles were carried over the
Rufiji River by the Ndundu ferry during 2001. Using the assumption that around half of these vehicles
travelled north and the other half travelled south, a monthly average of around 400 vehicles crossed the
Rufiji River northwards using the Ndundu ferry during 2001, with a minimum of nearly 250 in May and a
maximum of 630 in December. Lowest numbers of vehicles occur during April and May since heavy
rains cause rising water levels and faster currents to slow down the ferry (sometimes stopping
completely), whilst waterlogged roads hinder movement south of the river (Figure 28).
61