By Kamsi Anayo
The gully erosion ravaging Onitsha, the commercial hub of Anambra state which started in 2019, has thrown the community into ecological disaster.
Though no life has been lost so far, over 30 buildings have been destroyed by the disaster.
Also about 200,000 persons have been rendered homeless with property worth billions of naira destroyed in three years.
The massive erosion sites at Obeleagu Street and Nkisi-Aroli Street in Onitsha have been causing panic among the inhabitants of the community since 2020.
The situation is so grave that urgent intervention by the government is needed immediately to ameliorate the plight of the people in the affected areas.
Already destroyed completely are two churches, a school, shops and residential buildings with property worth billions of Naira.
As the rainy season approaches, panicky residents are begging the Federal and state governments to intervene.
The Network gathered that more buildings have been submerged after the first incident.
A septuagenarian and retired educationist, Onwa Hilary Chukwudobe, who is among the most threatened, said the experience has been traumatizing in the past three years.
“I thank God that I am surviving, and I thank the government for the much they have done, but as you can see the calamity is not over yet.
“I thank our monarch, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe and the town union Leadership for the patronage we have received.
Another resident of the area, Amechi Egbunike urged the state government to rescue them from the gully erosion without further delay.
“We want proactive measure, not political promises earlier made by the past administrations in the state,” he said.
The President-General of Onitsha Improvement Union, Sir Chike Ekweogwu told our Correspondent that the erosion started late 2019 and worsened in 2020.
“Since then we have approached various arms of government, including Anambra state government to come to our aid.
“Our monarch, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, the then Minister of State for Environment, Mrs Sharon Ikeazor as well as officials of Anambra state government under the former governor, Dr Willie Obiano visited the site.
“Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) officials and even former Gov. Obiano were here too to look at it. He had some compassion and put up a palliative measure to channel a new gutter into Nkisi River.
“It locked off the other end from Obeleagu Street to Aroli Street. That has minimized the continuous erosion in the area. He promised that for effective use of the channel, Nkisi River would be desilted .
“However, because the water doesn’t flow normally anymore, and you know our people with their land speculation attitude, they have encroached on it and Nkisi River begins to be eroded,”Ekweogwu said.
He appealed to Gov. Soludo to complete the work started by his predecessor, and desilt Nkisi River to become a free flowing stream.
The President-General also appealed to both the federal and state governments to help finance gully erosion control as the community would not be able to do so.
