World Bank, NEWMAP inspect villages under erosion threat in Imo

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MORE THAN 20 villages in Imo State are likely to be wiped out by erosion menace, in about three Local Government Areas in the state. This was discovered recently, in a joint inspection conducted round the ongoing construction works, in the major erosion site in the state, by the World Bank, Nigeria Erosion Management Project, NEWMAP, Federal Agricultural Ogarnization, FAO.

Leading the team to the various erosion sites was the Project coordinator of NEWMAP in the state, Engr. Victor Anueyiagu. Some of the gully erosion site visited include the Ihioma gully erosion in Orlu Local Government Area, Umueshi gully erosion in Ideato South Local Government Area and Urualla gully erosion in Ideato North Local Government.

The Ihioma gully erosion, cut across more four villages, Iyi Uzo, Ogberuru, Obizi, Udoma, the erosion had in recent times cut off communities from engaging in their inter-communal activities, especially as it affects their daily local market businesses and cultural activities.

Welcoming the inspection team at the Ihioma erosion site, was Engr. Shuibu Adodo of Zarcus construction limited, who said that the 4 kilometer erosion site had traversed across five communities in the area adding that so far, the volume of work done was 62 percent. Despite the increasing challenges confronting them in the course of their work, they started with the specifications, and with the construction of a covet as it was in the original plan.

Enumerating their challenges, Adodo said that a lot of issues had popped up that were never captured in the original plan of the work such as the need to asphalt the adjoining roads and the increasing flow of erosion in the site which the engineer said if not addressed were capable of impacting negatively on the work done so far.

Speaking also, the Resident Consultant Engr Peter Chukwuma told the inspection team that because they lost what he described as “season window” it was very difficult for them to complete the construction on the stipulated date in the original plan of the work. And that due to the dynamic flow of erosion it has increased the depth of the erosion as captured earlier.

At the Umueshi gully erosion site in Ideato South Local Government Area, the construction work handled by Arbico Plc, according to the Engr. Urial Nwaozuzu had to stop for sometime because of “bad weather” and appealed to the inspection team, for more time to archive the work completed. He also said due to their challenges the magnitude of work delivered so far, had gone beyond the original plan.

The challenges he said, was that in the original plan the depth of the erosion was 5 meters but now it is 18 meters as against what was initially captured. Adding that, it also needed more resources to squarely face the present challenges. In order to avoid it spreading to the over 15 villages in the area.

Also, Engr. Peter Chukwuma who is the Resident Consultant, for the Umueshi gully erosion confirmed that the work was in progress, adding that the delay in the approval of the project had also affected the one year duration which was earlier agreed in the original plan, saying that there was need for more time to be given to complete the work. He also pleaded to the inspection team to record the numerous challenges experienced in order to do a better job.

When the inspection team was taken to the Urualla gully erosion site, Ideato North Local Government Area, for a view of the danger facing over 10 villages within the erosion site, a villager told Southeast Voice that more than 50 houses and uncounted lives had been submerged by the gully erosion.

A victim, Mr. Everest Emosa who is also a tenant said that he lost his three bed room bungalow to the gully erosion, including his valuables worth more than 5 million naira and that since then he had been finding it very difficult to cope with the challenges of life, adding that it was a friend who accommodated him since that incident happened.

Another villager Mr. Emma told Southeast voice that he had lost more than 15 plots of land in the area including his economic trees, pointing out that the gully erosion had also posed a great challenge to them in the area of agricultural development among others.

South East Voice gather that the following villages are threatened by Urualla gully erosion, Eluama, Umueji, Umuezeneke, Ikpa Umuturu, Obinikabi/Okoroikpere, Umuezewudo,Okorobi among others.

Meanwhile, the inspection team led by the Project Coordinator of the Nigeria Erosion Watershed Management Project, Engr. Victor Anueyiagu said that they would adequately capture all the issues raised in the verification exercise, especially the challenges which they also promised would reflect comprehensively in their reports to their various head offices.

Source: Vanguard