Three houses have been swallowed in Ovom street in Ogbo Hill, Aba South LGA of Abia State by a gully erosion. The gully, which started in small proportion some years ago, has now enlarged in size, swallowing three houses and endangering other residential structures.
Apart from these, the deepening and widening gully will soon claim seven shops situated in Ovom street. So far, the main access road to Agouwa by Arochukwu street in the Ogbo Hill area has been cut off by the erosion menace, thereby forcing the residents and other road users to use pass through other paths.
Some of the residents of the affected areas who spoke to News Echo, appealed to the Abia State government and all concerned Federal government agencies, to come to their rescue. To Chief Okechukwu Agouwa, his house which stands close to the gully, is about to collapse unless urgent intervention comes from government agencies.
Other residents like Nnanna Onyemaechi , Mrs Grace Utondu, Mr Uduma Idika, said their businesses had been ruined by the erosion problem. Another tenant who is still trading inside one of the collapsing shops, said he had no money to rent a shop elsewhere in the town, hence he decided to take the risk of remaining in the endangered shop to do business.
Executive Secretary of Abia State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr Sunny Jackson and his office were yet to respond to the fresh outcry of the Ovom street residents.
Also, Abia State office of Nigeria Erosion Watershed and Management Project did not respond to enquiries about the ecological crises, as the director in charge of the establishment was not around, when the correspondent visited his office at Commissioners’ quarters.
