By Desire Emmanuel
Residents of Enugwu-Nanka Village in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State have sought government’s intervention to address the worsening gully erosion threatening the community.
The residents also seek reprieve from the World Bank and relevant environmental stakeholders, in a bid to prevent continuous destruction of lives and properties in the area.
A resident of the community, Nze Joshua Obinwa, whose house is threatened by the erosion, said that the problem had lingered for decades.
Obinwa, an octogenarian, said that the menace had also displaced many old people from their ancestral homes; he consequently, joined in the call for governments intervention.
Another member of the community, Mr Alexander Nwafete, also lamented that over 1,000 plots of land had been lost to the erosion, with severe effects on socioeconomic activities.
He also begged the government to save residents from dangers posed by the erosion.
Chairman of the Enugwu-Nanka Erosion and Flood Control Committee, Chief Emmanuel Osele, told newsmen that the erosion had displaced over 200 families, while houses worth billions of naira had collapsed into the gullies.
“Several buildings, farmlands, access roads linking the village with neighbouring Amakor and Ubahu communities, as well as critical infrastructure, are at risk, if urgent action is not taken.
“The community and individuals have embarked on various self-help measures, including tree planting, construction of drainages and catchment pits, to mitigate the damage.
“We also warned residents against cutting down trees in erosion-prone areas, but to no avail.
“We are therefore, calling on the Federal Government and Anambra State government to urgently intervene in the worsening gully erosion threatening our community,” he said
Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman of Ubahu Village, Nze James Ezeilo, raised concerns over emerging erosion sites around the Uhuabor axis near the boundary between Enugwu-Nanka and Ubahu villages.
He attributed the development to a runoff from neighbouring communities, and urged the government to take decisive steps aimed at addressing the problem.
