From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The people of Umuizundu in the Umuogele autonomous community, Isuochi clan in Umunnochi Local Government Area of Abia State have cried as erosion menace has claimed the lives of two of theirs and destroyed properties worth millions of naira.
Decrying the menace and making appeals for help from both the federal and Abia State governments, the traditional ruler of the community, Eze Edwin Madu who conducted newsman round the erosion sites, said apart from losing two people to the menace, they’ve also lost
buildings, economic trees and valuable farmlands.
Represented by the traditional Prime Minister of Umuogele, Uwalaka Onwuanaku, the royal father said the entire community has been devasted by gully erosion measuring more than two kilometres.
The traditional ruler claimed that the erosion has continued to increase in size and depth with each passing rainy season.
He blamed the cause of the erosion on a road construction company which channelled stormwater from different villages into Umuizundu without first carrying out an environmental impact assessment in the area, adding that such actions have caused untold damage to the people.
The traditional ruler said his people have been planting bamboo, palm and other trees among other remedial measures to prevent the erosion, but regretted that such communal efforts could not stop the menace.
He lamented that their access to farmlands had been cut off, therefore increasing hunger and suffering among the natives.
President General of the community, Daniel Felix Okoroafor, traced the history of the erosion to the channelling of stormwater which was done by a company, OEC in the 1980s and another work done by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in 2017.
He said the erosion deepens every rainy season by 100 meters and also increases in length.
Okoroafor said they approached officials of Abia state government in November 2023 for help, but regretted that no action has so far been taken by the state government.
While commending Governor Alex Otti for his ongoing infrastructure works in the state, however, said if the government do not do anything urgently, the community would soon be cut off from the rest of the world.
A victim of the erosion menace, Onuoha Okpara, said, “My father’s house was destroyed by this same gully and some other houses may soon go down unless urgent help comes our way.”
Others who spoke on the menace, including Reverend Godwin Ikechuckwu and Joshua Madu said controlling the erosion has gone beyond the scope of the community and appealed to both the federal and Abia state governments to come to their aid.