By George Mgbeleke<\/p>\n
Worried by the havock caused by erosion in parts of the South East geopolitical zone of the country,Senate on wednesday called on the Federal Government to urgently interven in the flood and erosion-ravaged communities in Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo and other states.<\/p>\n
The resolution followed motions moved Wednesday by Senators Victor Umeh (Anambra Central), Anthony Ani (Ebonyi South) and Osita Izunaso (Imo West) on devastating floods, gully erosion, loss of lives, destruction of homes and farmlands, and displacement of residents in the affected communities across the states.<\/p>\n
The upper chamber urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials, including food, medical supplies and other essentials to affected communities.<\/p>\n
It also urged the Ministries of Works, and Environment to assess damaged roads, restore access routes and implement sustainable flood and erosion control measures.<\/p>\n
Presenting the motion, Senator Umeh said communities in Ogidi, Obosi and Oko areas of Anambra Central Senatorial District face severe environmental and humanitarian crises caused by heavy rainfall, which destroyed homes, farmlands and infrastructure and disrupted livelihoods.<\/p>\n
He said at least four persons, including a pregnant woman and a six-year-old child, had died, while several families were displaced. <\/p>\n
The lawmaker warned that expanding gullies threaten residential areas and critical infrastructure, including sections of the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway.He noted that at least four (4) persons, including a pregnant woman and a six-year-old Master Success Ezenwafor (a pupil of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Primary School, Awka) have reportedly lost their lives, while several families have been displaced and numerous homes submerged, including the Palace of His Royal Majesty, Igwe (Pharm.) Alex Uzo Onyido, Ezechuamagha of Ogidi, among other properties;Senator Umeh further noted that large expanses of Agricultural land, economic trees and cash crops worth millions of naira have been destroyed, further aggravating food insecurity, loss of livelihoods and economic hardship among Residents;He added that the flooding has disrupted access to Education, as roads and access routes have become impassable, forcing schoolchildren to remain at home due to the risks associated with movement within the affected areas.Also added that the Erosion menace has resulted in a deep and expanding gully erosions in Awka, and another, reportedly exceeding 60 metres in depth, in Ugamuma Community, Obosi, extending towards the axis of the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway and posing a serious threat to lives, property and critical Transport Infrastructure;He expressed worries that the deplorable condition of roads and other Infrastructure in the affected Communities has heightened the vulnerability of Residents to criminal activities, including armed robbery and other forms of insecurity, particularly in areas that have become difficult to access;He further lamented that residents of the affected areas, particularly in Abor and Ire Villages in Ogidi and several communities in Obosi and Awka, are increasingly abandoning their homes and ancestral lands in search of safer places;He added that continued displacement of residents, destruction of livelihoods and exposure to insecurity could undermine public safety, social stability and economic activities in the affected communities;<\/p>\n
Contributing, Senator Ani said floods in Ebonyi South Senatorial District destroyed homes, valuables, crops and livestock, worsening hardship, urging NEMA to provide humanitarian aid and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to assess losses and provide emergency support.<\/p>\n
Also, Senator Izunaso said flooding and erosion continue to threaten communities in Imo West Senatorial District, a problem he first raised in 2023. <\/p>\n
He listed affected communities and roads, noting destruction of homes, businesses, farmlands and roads, and creating hazards for motorists and pedestrians.<\/p>\n
Adopting the prayers, the Senate mandated relevant ministries and agencies to assess affected areas and implement emergency and long-term interventions, including ecological projects for Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo and other affected states.<\/p>\n
It mandated its Committees on Environment, Works, Ecology and Climate Change to conduct on-the-spot assessment and report back within one month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By George Mgbeleke Worried by the havock caused by erosion in parts of the South East geopolitical zone of the country,Senate on wednesday called on the Federal Government to urgently interven in the flood and erosion-ravaged communities in Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo and other states. The resolution followed motions moved Wednesday by Senators Victor Umeh (Anambra […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18577"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18577\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18578,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18577\/revisions\/18578"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}