Erosion Destroys Buildings, Displaces Occupants In Oraifite

Six buildings have been destroyed and several families displaced by the gully erosion ravaging Ibolo, Oraifite, in Ekwusigo Local Government Area.

While narrating his ordeal to the ABS, Mr. Edmond Anazodo, whom the ABS met in a state of helplessness, explained that the devastating gully erosion was caused by poor drainage channeling during the construction of the Onitsha–Owerri Road, adding that it has swallowed six of his houses, destroyed his land, and washed away all his belongings, including his clothes and those of his children, leaving him with only a pair of shorts.

He lamented that the rampaging erosion has also damaged his remaining house, thereby rendering him and his family homeless, and called on the Anambra State Government and the Federal Government to rescue them from the erosion.

On his part, his brother, Mr. Nonso Anazodo, whose storey building was also destroyed by the erosion, recounted his losses and appealed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo and the Federal Government to come to their aid to prevent further damage.

Speaking to journalists after touring the erosion sites, the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Clem Aguiyi, observed that the erosion menace is a consequence of poor decision-making in engineering and structural works carried out to divert flood channels along the Onitsha–Owerri Road, noting that the highway is also under threat if the erosion is not urgently addressed, and added that it is high time environmentalists, city planners, and architects engaged in discussions on how Anambra constructs roads, channels floodwater, and protects its environment and natural habitats.

Also speaking, the Mayor of Ekwusigo Local Government Area, Mr. Chimezie Obi, while commending the Commissioner for visiting the erosion sites to assess how the government could intervene immediately upon receiving reports of the disaster, urged the Anambra State Government and the Federal Government to intervene urgently, stressing that the devastating gully erosion is beyond the capacity of the local government and that prompt action is needed to prevent further loss of lives and destruction of property in the community.