Gully erosion Uzoakoli in Bende LGA of Abia State weekend swallowed a 2-storey building and a 4-bedroom bungalow after a torrential rain that lasted for over 16 hours.
The 2-storey building belonged to an indigene living outside the country, while the other belonged to another indigene at home. All these happened at Amaewu, Umueze, Amamba, Uzuakoli.
As a result therefore, the people of the area now live in fear over the gully erosion site which has defied all solutions even after several millions of Naira has been spent in tackling it.
According to the member representing Bende South constituency in Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Emmanuel Chinedu Ndubuisi the erosion site has resisted frantic efforts to bring it under control.
The lawmaker disclosed that the community has consistently made efforts to change the course of the gully site but to no avail, which also lead to the collapse of another 4-bedroom bungalow.
According to him, “I have reached out to the NEWMAP who came and gave their expert advice, a step that has been followed but the gully still persists”.
While stating that more buildings in the community are under threat, Hon. Ndubuisi hinted that the community has commenced a fresh palliative work following an advice by the NEWMAP team to mitigate the flood impact.
The NEWMAP advice he said is for them to “do a drainage down to the river so that more buildings will not be threatened, but I don’t know if the money available to the community now can do that.
“What we want to do now is to use sand bags to slow down the speed of the flood so that the devastation will reduce, which the engineers told us will reduce the devastation”.
Hon. Ndubuisi disclosed that the member representing Bende Federal Constituency, Rep. Benjamin Kalu and the Senator representing Abia North, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu are aware of the challenges of the people, regretting “only the state government has intervened through NEWMAP”, stating that efforts are ongoing to get other agencies of government for their intervention.
Describing the site as a gigantic project, Hon. Ndubuisi said the problem is ecological-related which the federal lawmakers through the federal government can help to solve, adding “it cannot be resolved locally without the intervention of federal government using the ecological fund”.
However when contacted, the senator representing Abia North, His Excellency, Orji Uzor Kalu said that though their job at the red chamber is purely legislative, that he will send people to go and look at the site to enable him see how he can talk to federal authorities to come to the aide of the community.
The senator advised that such issues rests with the state government who receives monthly ecological funds.
According to the member representing Bende Federal Constituency, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, “I have been there before to inspect the site. I have already presented the matter to the Ecological Fund Office for consideration”.
