By Linus Aleke, Abuja
The House of Representatives, Tuesday rook steps to tackle the ravaging gully erosion in Anambra state.
The House urged the Ecological Fund Office and related agencies to carry out an impact assessment of communities affected by gully erosion in Anambra State.
It also, called on the office to fund a remediation plan that will stem the tide of gully erosion in the affected areas.
The House was concerned that the people of Igbo-Ukwu, Ekwulobia, Achina, Aguluezechukwu, Uga, Umuchu, Ezinifit, Nkpologwu, Ikenga, Akpo, Amesi Communities in Aguata Federal Constituency of Anambra State have tremendously suffered the menace of dangerous gully erosions for years which has resulted in the loss of valuable landscape which could have been put to good agricultural and other economic uses.
It was also concerned that the ravaging gully erosion have rendered people homeless in the affected communities resulting in the relocation of families from their ancestral communities with its attendant traumatic consequences.
The House equally directed the National Emerency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials to the affected communities.
The Parliament mandated the Committees on Environment, Works and Water Resources to make funds available in the 2024 budget estimates for the construction of drainage system and erosion control measures to tackle the menace of gully erosions in the affected communities.
These followed the adoption of a motion titled “Need to Intervene in the Gully Erosion Devastating Communities in Aguata Federal Constituency of Anambra State” sponsored by Hon. Dominic Okafor.
The House noted that climate change in recent years has adversely affected and impacted on the environment across the globe with its attendant side effects.
The motion also pointed out that gully erosions are caused by increased rainfall over a period of time, poor environmental practices, poor or lack of efficient drainage system, inadequate preparedness of relevant government agencies to climate change projections and warnings or total neglect of same, as well as poor refuse disposal practice etc.
The House was worried that some of these communities are cut off from government reach, dislocated from one another, and have their access roads washed off, thereby making transportation of agricultural products from these communities very difficult.
The House also worried that the communities in the areas are predominantly agrarian and are daily counting their loses due to inability to transport goods and services to other towns, loss of valuable land to gully erosions and fear of encroaching gullies.
The House said if this menace of devastating gully erosions in the communities is adequately addressed, it will alleviate the hardships of residents, reclaim valuable expanse of land, improve economic activities and bring a sense of belonging and care of government to the people.
