By Tobias Ekirika
Women of Obosi community in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, yesterday, drew the attention of government to devastating effects of gully erosion in the community.
The women, numbering over 200, stormed the erosion site at Ugumuma village, where they wept uncontrollably, calling for government intervention.
The women's march to the erosion site coincided with the visit of the senator representing Anambra South senatorial zone, Chief Victor Umeh, to the gully site, to witness the level of devastation, and to witness the measures being provided by illustrious son of the town, Engr Eric Anyamele, to stop the gully from advancing further.
One of the women, who gave her name simply as Ngozi, decried the problem and said that the erosion is gradually driving the entire residents out of their homes.
According to her, "We have not seen a thing like this before. This erosion started gradually from the nearby Idemili River, as a result of activities of sand miners.
"The erosion had continued to eat into our residential area, threatening over 300 buildings, and many residents are being forced to take refuge at nearby communities."
She commended an illustrious son of the community, Engr Nnamdi Eric Anyamele, who she said, engaged personal engineers to control the erosion.
President General of Obosi Development Union (ODU), Mr. Chimezie Obi (Esq), who also visited the gully site, hinted that the community made much efforts in the past to manage the erosion, but that their efforts were not enough to control the menace.
While thanking Senator Umeh for his visit, the community leader expressed hope that the visit would attract necessary government interventions.
An illustrious son of the community, Engr Eric Anyamele, whose house is also under serious threat of erosion, revealed that few months ago, himself and few other residents contributed huge sum of money and controlled the erosion, but that when rain set in fully, flood destroyed the entire efforts and further worsened the gully.
He said that the worsening erosion threatened nearby buildings, with some residents already moving their belongings to safer locations as families living close to the affected area fear that further rainfall could worsen the situation.
Anyamene said that following the worsening development, his priority was to provide immediate measures to prevent the erosion from further advancing towards residential areas.
He noted that he has mobilized his personal engineers and team from Abuja to begin emergency intervention in the gully erosion, and expressed hope that the problem will receive urgent government intervention.
Principal of Union Secondary School, Ugumuma, Obosi, Mrs Ebere Comfort Onugha, also called for state and federal governments' urgent help.
Represented by a teacher in the school, Mrs Chidimma Okoro, the principal said that the school is highly threatened because, the erosion is almost cutting off the road leading to the school.
Addressing the Crowd at the site, Senator Victor Umeh sympathized with the people of the area. He thanked Engr Anyamele for his personal intervention; while insisting that individual efforts, without government intervention, cannot control the size of gully there.
He, therefore, assured that he would liaise with relevant senate committees and federal agencies to ensure that the menace receive adequate attention.
The engineer at the site, Mr. Meze Andrew, told newsmen that individual efforts cannot handle the erosion, which he said, measures about 12 meters deep and about 200 meters long. He assured, however that the menace will be controlled by his firm to a manageable extent, awaiting necessary government intervention.