REPORTER: UCHE NDEKE
Many buildings are at the verge of being washed away by erosion in ugamuma village in Obosi, Idemili North local government area of Anambra state.
This follows the heavy and persistent rainfall being witnessed in different parts of Anambra State in recent weeks.
Correspondent Uche Ndeke reports that the owners and occupants of the buildings are appealing to international organisations, Federal and State governments to urgently come to their rescue.
Obosi is one of the communities in Anambra State that has been under the threat of flood and gully erosion over the years.
However the magnitude has been high this year because of the the volume of rainfall being recorded in the community and neighbouring areas.
Though the federal government through the NEWMAP and assistance from the World bank had intervened in some erosion sites in Obosi in 2019, the recent gully that erupted in Ugamuma has brought great worry the people.
One of the residents , Mrs Obiageli Mounagor narrated that they are helpless as they watch heavy flood wash away the soil, destroy and carry away drainage channels that were constructed to create pathways for water.
Mrs Mounagor feared that if urgent intervention is not undertaken by the government, many houses and farmlands in the community would be lost to erosion.
One of the owners of the buildings being threatened by the menace ,Mr Chiemelie Mgbakaogu said that he started evacuating his property when the magnitude of the devastation became enormous.
Another property owner, Mr Eric Anyamene regretted that the palliative measures adopted by some individuals to check the erosion had failed to register serious impact on the problem.
” If you are here any day it rains it could carry a human being,the pressure is heavy. My concern right now is the lives and properties of our people, yes my house is here but that is not enough. I have just been thinking what if a child is on an errands and this happens or even a car was driving pass, it will collapse with the occupants.what we need right now is an immediate action to stem further damage and that is what we are doing because we know the volume of water that comes here “
An engineering expert, Mr Andrew Emeze who visited the scene, described the magnitude of the erosion as live threatening and capable of causing more damages if left unaddressed.
The President General of Obosi Town Union Mr Chimezie Obi appealed to the World bank through the federal government to come to their rescue.
” It is a very big menace, this is just one of many erosion sites in Obosi, we have erosion site in Iruowulu, ire, Umuota, and others here in Ugamuma,and this has been recurring decimal on a regular basis. We have been calling on government to come to our rescue but the reason why this one seems to be loud is because of how sudden it happened”
While the people of Ugamuma in Obosi wait for assistance many of them especially those whose houses are being threatened by erosion are
apprehensive of their fate as more heavy rainfall are recorded.
