Over the weekend, residents of Ovom Street and Eziama in Aba, Abia State, raised alarm over the devastating impact of gully erosion in their areas.
The environmental menace, they lamented, has posed a serious threat to their lives and properties, with the disaster having already destroyed numerous buildings and vital economic assets.
The concerns of the Aba residents were brought to light during a visit by Hon Alex Ikwechegh, the member representing Aba North and Aba South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. Ikwechegh was in the area to inspect the roads ravaged by erosion.
One of the residents, Mr Bright Ndubueze, made a heartfelt appeal to the Abia State Government, urging them to come to their aid and rescue them from the disaster that has crippled their livelihoods.
Similarly, a local trader, Madam Eunice Nwanoru, expressed her distress over the state of the road in the area, which has been severely affected by gully erosion, turning it into a death trap. She warned that if urgent action is not taken to address the menace, it could lead to the destruction of more houses.
“This is not our first time in crying out to government over the gully erosion that had already cut off the road. You can see that the erosion menace on this road is expanding every rainy season towards public buildings. And we know when such ugly incident happens, many lives are being lost," Nwanoru said.
She took the opportunity to call on relevant federal and state government agencies and ministries to intervene and reconstruct their road, in order to avert the looming danger.
Meanwhile, during his inspection tour, Ikwechegh expressed his displeasure at the poor condition of the road infrastructure in the area. He assured the residents that he would raise the issue at the National Assembly and promised to commence immediate palliative work on the road to halt further deterioration.