Buildings in Umuobia and Umuchime fall victim to gully erosion

The residents of Umuobia Olokoro housing estate, in Umuahia South LGA of Abia State, are facing a serious threat from gully erosion that has destroyed several buildings in the area. The state government, through its Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Ogbonna, has assured the residents that it is aware of the situation and is working to address it.

Mr. Ogbonna said he had personally visited the affected areas and seen the extent of the damage caused by the gully erosion. He said the state government would not abandon the residents but would take the best possible action to save them. He said remediation work on the sites would commence soon to contain the situation.

He also said that the state government was mindful of the gully menace affecting various communities in Abia and would not rest until the problems were tackled. He mentioned some other areas suffering from erosion challenges, such as Umuchime Ogbodi in Umuahia South LGA, Ohokobe Afaraukwu Ibeku, Isiama Afara, and Umuagu Ibeku in Umuahia North LGA, among others.

It was reported that more than three buildings, including those of retired civil servants, had been brought down by the gully erosion in the Umuobia housing estate, leaving the occupants homeless. Similarly, at Umuchime Ogbodi, two buildings and important economic trees had been swallowed by the deep gully, which also cut off the villagers from major access roads to their farms.