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No fewer than 300 families have been sacked by the gully erosion occasioned by flood disaster in six villages of Amawbia Community in Awka South Local Government area of Anambra State.
This incident which has cut off the community from its kits and kin from the neighboring, Nise, Nibo, Umuokpu and Agukwu Nnri towns have
also stopped about 4000 school children from going to school.
Two children have escaped from being washed away by flood.
According to the Director Community Environmental Media Awareness (CEMA), Mr Okey Maduforo, “the situation needs urgent attention by the state government before the entire community is sacked”.
Also affected by the erosion include, Union secondary school, Kabe College, May Rose Hotels as the link roads to those public facilities
have become inaccessible by motorists and other road users in Adebebe village.
Deepening the menace is the cutting off of the residence of the member representing Awka South II State constituency Mr. Chukwuma Okoye (aka) Nwanayoeze.
The lawmaker could not be reached as at the time of this report as he was said to be away on an oversight function.
The Adebebe road construction was commenced three days to the conduct of state Assembly elections only to be abandoned after the election hence paving way for the perennial flood and ultimate gully erosion in
the area.
When schools resumed today (Monday) no fewer that 4000 pupils and students could not return to their schools as vehicular movements have become impossible and school children had to carry their boxes across the gully.
Also farm lands and buildings under construction along Adebebe-Nise road now hang on the cliff as the next heavy rain would surely sweep them into the Obibia River in the area.
Just last week, two children were saved from their untimely graves when the last Wednesdays rain fall flushed them into the gully while they were coming back from the farm and it took the timely intervention of workers at a building site to save the situation.
According to one of the children, Miss Tochi Nwanna 16yrs old, “we were carrying fire wood on that day and the flood was too much and we did not know where to step on and suddenly my younger brother fell into the flood and when I tried to hold him, I did not know how I fell in
also”.
“He was inside the flood and I was crying for help until some people working in that building came and helped us” she said.
Maduforo said that “Amawbia People and its residents have spent well over N800 Million in the last seven years to fight environmental degradation without the assistance of government”
“As its stands now, the community is closed to enjoying the same status with the Ekwulobia gully erosion as the area shares the same
topography with other erosion ravaged communities in Anambra State”.