By Chimezie Anaso

The people of Ekwulummiri Town in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra have raised the alarm over the magnitude of devastation caused by gully erosion in the community.

They said that this has jeopardised the lives and livelihood of the people of the agrarian community and led to displacement of families.

Mr Chinedu Anyaso, stakeholder in the community, told journalists in Awka that the gully erosion had swept away many economic trees, farmlands and livelihood of families.

He said the most affected villages were Umudim, Urueze and Isigwu in order of devastation.

Anyaso called on Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra and the Federal Government, through the Nigeria Climate Adaptation Erosion and Watershed Project (NEWMAP), to come to the aid of the community.

He said the gully erosion was caused by flash flood from Igbo Ukwu, Oraeri and other upland communities as well as increased human activities which exacerbated the flows.

Anyaso said the road linking the community to Amichi through Ugwuochi had been cut off by the gully erosion, thereby reducing the access of the people to social and economic activities.

He called for the urgent intervention of the government to the over 30 years life threatening gully erosion in the community.

He said the massive gully was less than 100 metres from the Oba-Nnewi-Uga-Okigwe expressway which was a strategic route for travellers.

“We are losing our community to gully erosion, about 15 houses have been lost to this gully, families have been displaced, countless economic trees and large areas of farm lands have been washed off and the federal road that passed here is about being cut off.

“We are calling on Gov. Chukwuma Soludo to declare a state of emergency on Ekwulummiri gully erosion, we are also calling on the Federal Government and international community to intervene.

“As a people, we have carried out control and remedial measures like planting of trees, construction of drainage and creation of catchment pits to reduce the impact but we are facing flood from about four communities from the upland.

Also speaking, Chief Clement Ezeifedikwa, said they had cried out over the gully menace but had not had any respite.

Ezeifedikwa said government officials had visited the various sites a number of times and gave assurances but nothing had been done to mitigate the disaster or assist the people.

“It is getting worse every day, we do not have home any more, people are moving out,” he said

Mr Cassidy Ikejiaku, a youth in the community, said the people had taken various measures to combat the gully erosion but they had been overwhelmed by the magnitude.

Ikejiaku said they had done some concrete work, planted trees and constructed artificial dams to reduce flood runoff.

“As a community, we have made an effort, our brothers both home and abroad have spent huge sums of money on control of the erosion, even the bamboo tree and trees we planted have been swallowed,” he said .

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Anambra is considered as the capital of gully erosion in Africa with over 1,000 active erosion sites.

The ecological problem has been attributed partly to climate change which comes from high rainfall leading to soil erosion as a result of increased water erosion and runoff.

Gully erosion in Anambra is driven by a combination of natural and human induced factors, including topography, soil properties, climate, and land use practices.

Prof. Philip Phil-Eze, the Managing Director of Anambra State Erosion, Watershed and Climate Change Agency (ANSEWCCA), said at a workshop recently that about 160 out of the 179 communities in the state were at the risk of gully erosion.

Phil-Eze blamed soil erosion in Anambra on natural factors such as high intensity of rainfall, flood/runoff, lithology (loose soil type), topography and scarce vegetation cover.

“Man-made causes include the culture of negligence, felling of trees, indiscriminate waste disposal, lack of harvesting rainwater, sand mining, modern roofing styles and interlock tiles.

“Others are poor termination of drainage channels, wrong termination/diversion of channels during construction and unhealthy farming practice,” he said.

However, the Anambra government has successfully tackled gully erosion in some parts of the state.

This was achieved through the Nigeria Erosion Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP), a World Bank sponsored project.

NEWMAP not only recovered some ravaged gully sites but resettled the victims and empowered them with healthy environmental practice skills.

Through NEWMAP, the Anambra government was able to control and stabilise NEROS Plaza, Amachala, Ekwueme Square, Federal High Court Complex all in Awka; some with access roads.

Also rescued fully were Urunebo gully in Enugu Ukwu, Umuoji gully, Ojoto, Ire Obosi while Nkpor flyover, Ugamuma Obosi and Abagana are still under threat.

In addition to civil control works, NEWMAP also had a resettlement action plan for affected persons and equipped victims with climate change management tips under its project advisory services.

Though NEWMAP wound up in 2022 after 10 years intervention activities in Anambra, the people of Ekwulummiri are urging Soludo and the Federal Government to consider them a priority under the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) initiative.

They said it was an intervention in the magnitude of the Nigeria Climate Adaptation Erosion and Watershed Project (NEWMAP-EIB) that would redeem them from the gloomy doom.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz