By Tobias Ekirika
The senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial Zone at the National Assembly, Chief (Sir) Victor Umeh, has called on the federal government to intervene in erosion menace threatening Obosi community in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The Senator made the call yesterday when he visited the erosion site at Ugumuma village in the community.
While commending an illustrious son of the town, Engr Nnamdi Eric Anyamele, for engaging erosion control engineers to provide palliative measures, Umeh insisted that individual efforts, without government intervention, cannot control the size of erosion disaster in Obosi.
He assured that he would use his office and contacts to liaise with relevant senate committees and federal agencies to ensure that the menace receive adequate attention.
The President General of Obosi Development Union (ODU), Mr. Chimezie Obi (Esq), who also visited the gully site, hinted that the community made necessary efforts in the past to manage the erosion, but that their efforts was not adequate to control the surge of the erosion.
While thanking some individuals in the town for their individual interventions, Obi expressed hope that Senator Umeh's visit would
attract necessary government intervention.
Principal of Union Secondary School, Ugumuma, Obosi, Mrs Ebere Comfort Onugha, also called for state and federal governments' urgent intervention.
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.
An illustrious son of the community, Engr Eric Anyamele, whose house is also under serious threat by the menace, revealed that few months ago, himself and few other residents contributed huge sum of money in controlling the erosion surge, but that when rain set in fully, flood destroyed the entire efforts and further worsened the gully.
He said that the reason he engaged erosion control firm to work on the gully is to ensure that the menace is brought under control, pending when proper intervention will come from relevant governments and agencies.
The engineer at the site, Mr. Meze Andrew, told newsmen that the gully is about 12 meters deep and about 200 meters long. He assured that his company will control the menace to a manageable extent, based on the contract specification. He, however, said that only government and World Bank agencies can provide needed funding to control the erosion properly.