The residents of Ogbeozoma community, a suburb of the Delta state capital, Asaba, are in a state of distress following the immense damage caused by a heavy downpour on Sunday. The relentless rain has led to a catastrophic gully erosion that has effectively severed the community from the outside world.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the main road, a crucial link for over 1,000 households, has been completely taken over by the massive gully. This environmental disaster has not only stranded and trapped the community’s inhabitants but has also caused vehicles to fall into the chasm, rendering any movement in or out of the area virtually impossible and leaving the community in a perilous condition.
Speaking in an interview with NAN, Mr Kingsley Ifechukwude, a residents said the Sunday night heavy rainfall rendered the road difficult for people to move.
“As you can see, my motor fell into the ditch while I was trying to negotiate my way out of the community in the evening hours when the rain was falling.
“Now that the situation is like this, the gully has taken over the center of the road and when ever any vehicle falls in the ditch, it becomes difficult for any other vehicle to pass through. This is what we suffer every year.
“We have tried as landlords to fix the road but the current stage is beyond us. You have not even seen anything, if you have the courage to walk down the stretch of the road about three kilometers you will marvel at the gully erosion that has equally threatened many buildings along that corridor.
“So, what we are experiencing now is life threatening and if government does not intervene soon, many buildings will beging to collapse as their foundations have been eaten up by erosion,” he said.
On her part, Mrs Esther Okafor, who operates a petty trading store along the corridor, said each time it rains, flood coming from the hills are usually heavy and life threatening.
She said: “The flood will come with force and it will eat up the road and push the sand to block other passageways along the major road “Nwanikpa Road”- old Okapanam – Issele-Azagba Road.
“It used to be a commercial road where commuters pass through from Asaba through Okapanam -Issele-Azagba to Issele-Uku and to Benin. This road has been abandoned for years now.
“We heard that the state government has awarded the contract for the road, and if the government will keep to the promise and rehabilitate it, the residents will experience a new life and commercial activities will be boosted in the community.”
NAN, however, reports that the State Government had in partnership with NEWMAP, a World Bank assisted programme concluded plans to address the gully erosion threat in Vanguard -Ogbeozoma-Amachai area cutting across Oshimili South and North Local Government Areas of the state.
Accordingly, the Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori led government has fully paid its counterpart fund to attract the donors fund for the project which is expected to begin at the end of the rains this year.
