The Abia State Government has pledged immediate intervention at three major gully erosion sites that threaten lives, homes, farmlands, and critical infrastructure in Bende and Umuahia North Local Government Areas.
The commitment followed an on-the-spot assessment by officials of the Ministry of Environment and the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project-European Investment Bank Assisted (NEWMAP-EIB).
The inspection covered erosion sites in Uzuakoli and Attah Emede, where officials described the scale of destruction as alarming.
Speaking to journalists after the inspection on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Philemon Ogbonna, said the Attah Emede erosion site had become an emergency requiring immediate government action.
He disclosed that the state had secured approval in principle for intervention works at the site, adding that a proposal had already been forwarded to Governor Alex Otti for final approval.
“Something is already being done at Attah Emede. We have secured approval in principle and forwarded a proposal to His Excellency for intervention works. Within the next few days, work will commence once final approval is given,” Ogbonna said.
The commissioner urged residents living close to the expanding gully to relocate immediately, warning that the erosion was advancing at a dangerous pace.
“The speed at which this erosion is progressing is alarming. I do not want any life lost. Those living around the area should vacate because mitigation works will begin very soon,” he warned.
Ogbonna also revealed that a memo seeking emergency intervention at the Amamba Uzuakoli erosion site would be submitted to the governor for approval.
He advised residents to stop dumping refuse into gullies and avoid activities that worsen erosion in vulnerable communities.
“We can always recover land, but we cannot recover lives,” he cautioned.
The NEWMAP-EIB Project Coordinator, Dr Nkiruka Chidia-Maduekwe, said the inspection followed distress calls received from affected communities last Friday.
She described the destruction at both locations as heartbreaking but assured residents that the government was taking urgent steps to address the crisis.
“What we saw is very disheartening. There is a huge threat to life and property, but the government is on top of the situation,” she said.
Chidia-Maduekwe explained that the Attah Emede site and the erosion site at Dodd’s Methodist Church in Uzuakoli had been merged into a single project under NEWMAP Phase Two.
According to her, the two sites are among three priority erosion locations selected for intervention under the European Investment Bank-assisted program.
She noted that while Governor Otti had approved intervention at Attah Emede, approval for emergency works at the Uzuakoli site was still being awaited.
The project coordinator blamed the worsening erosion on poor drainage infrastructure and indiscriminate disposal of refuse into waterways.
“When roads are constructed without adequate drainage, this is the kind of devastation that follows. I visited Attah Emede recently, and within one week the erosion had worsened to the point where a major road was split into two. A shop and an entire family are now at risk,” she said.
She urged residents to avoid building on waterways and floodplains and to ensure proper drainage systems within their communities.
Reacting to the government’s intervention, the President-General of the Ohabuike Amamba Development Association, Mr Nelson Umuzurike, expressed gratitude, saying the community had waited years for assistance.
“This erosion has cut off our farm roads. We do not know how we will harvest our crops this year or next. We are appealing for urgent intervention because we know our governor is a talk-and-do leader,” he said.
Similarly, Attah Emede community leader, Chief Uzoka Iheukwumere, appealed to the state government to urgently rescue residents whose lives and property remain under serious threat.
“Our lives and property are at risk because of this gully erosion. We have written to several government agencies, and we are appealing to the governor to come to our rescue,” he said.
