Abia identifies 1,200 erosion sites

Abia State Government says it has identified about 1, 200 erosion sites, which constitute major ecological disaster in the state. In view of the huge capital outlay required to tackle the ecological problem, the State Government keyed into the joint World Bank and Federal Government’s erosion control programme, through the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management initiative (NEWMAP).

To demonstrate its readiness for the partnership, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, while hosting officials of NEWMAP in Umuahia, said the state would not joke with payment of counterpart funds since it could not address the erosion menace in the state alone. The governor appealed to the team to take a critical look at the Ndiegoro, Aba, which suffers perennial flooding and was now a disaster area.

He expressed fears that Abia may be exposed to a major ecological disaster except the threatening erosion menace was urgently tackled and promised to give the team the necessary support it needed to function. Following the agreement, the World Bank in conjunction with Abia State Government, under NEWMAP, has spent over N273 million to rebuild two communities in the state that are being ravaged by gully erosion.

The money is for compensation and rehabilitation of the roads devastated by erosion in the affected communities.The communities that benefitted are Amuzukwu in Umuahia North Local Government Area and Umuezeukwu Nsulu in Isiala Ngwa North council.

Amuzukwu was paid N34 million compensation for properties lost to gully erosion and Umuezeukwu Nsulu in Isiala North Local Government Area whose 1.2 kilometer road was devastated is being rehabilitated at a cost of over N238 million. Meanwhile, the design work for the Amuzukwu and Amuda Isuochi in Umunneochi council gully erosion sites is in progress and the state government is getting ready to award the contracts to rehabilitate them.

The design work for other gully erosion disaster sites in Elu Ohafia, Dodds Methodist Church and Umuagu Ibeku have been completed by the bank. Izuchukwu Onwuhara, acting director, Abia NEWMAP, who disclosed these developments at Umuezekwu Nsulu, during the marking of this year’s world environment day, explained that the projects were facilitated by the World Bank, following the payment of the state project’s counterpart fund.