By NewsBits
A ravaging gully erosion in several communities in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State has reportedly swallowed a 2-storey building and a 4-bedroom bungalow after a torrential rain that lasted for over 16 hours.
NewsBits learnt that the owner of the 2-storey building is an indigene based outside the country, while the bungalow belonged to another native residing in the state. Reports say that the affected communities are Amaewu, Umueze, Amamba, and Uzuakoli. Also, it was learnt that the rainfall lasted from Friday 4:00p.m. to Saturday 7:00a.m.
Consequently, the people of the area now live in fear of the gully erosion site, which they said, has defied all solutions even after several millions of Naira has been spent in solving the problem.
Commenting on the development, the member representing Bende South Constituency in Abia State House of Assembly, Emmanuel Chinedu Ndubuisi, said the erosion site has resisted frantic efforts to bring it under control. The legislature disclosed that the community has consistently made efforts to change the course of the gully site but without any concrete result, which also caused the collapse of another 4-bedroom bungalow.
According to Ndubuisi, “I have reached out to the NEWMAP who came and gave their expert advice, a step that has been followed but the gully still persists”.
Emphasising that more buildings in the community are under threat, Ndubuisi added that the community has commenced a fresh palliative work following some advice by the NEWMAP team to mitigate the flood impact.
He said that the NEWMAP advice was for them to “do a drainage down to the river so that more buildings will not be threatened, but I don’t know if the money available to the community now can do that.”
He further said: “What we want to do now is to use sandbags to slow down the speed of the flood so that the devastation will reduce, which the engineers told us will reduce the devastation”.
Ndubuisi further disclosed that the member representing Bende Federal Constituency, Rep. Benjamin Kalu and the Senator representing Abia North, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, are aware of the challenges of the people, stressing that “only the state government has intervened through NEWMAP.” The legislator also stated that efforts are ongoing to get other agencies of government for their intervention.
However, when contacted, the senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, said that though their job in the Senate is purely legislative, but he would send people to inspect the site to enable him to see how he can talk to the federal authorities to come to the aide of the community.
Kalu, nonetheless, pointed out that such issues rested with the state government who receives monthly ecological funds. Meanwhile, the member representing Bende Federal Constituency, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, said: “I have been there before to inspect the site. I have already presented the matter to the Ecological Fund Office for consideration.”
