By Saminu Ibrahim
Senator Victor Umeh, senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial Zone has called on the federal government to urgently intervene in the worsening flooding and gully erosion threatening communities across Anambra State, stressing that several houses have collapsed, families displaced and lives lost.
The lawmaker, in a motion at the Senate plenary on Wednesday, titled ‘urgent intervention on the devastating flood and erosion menace in Ogidi, Obosi and Awka communities in Anambra Central Senatorial district’ said the situation became particularly devastating between late July and September, with erosion and flooding wreaking havoc in Awka, Obosi, Ogidi and other communities across Idemili North and Idemili South local government areas.
According to Senator Umeh, the destruction had reached an alarming level, with some erosion gullies measuring up to 60 metres deep and swallowing residential buildings.
Briefing newsmen in Abuja, the Anambra Central Senator said the flooding recorded between July and August displaced several families, destroyed properties and disrupted livelihoods, particularly in the Ogidi axis.
He said “a pregnant woman died during one of the flooding incidents, while a six-year-old pupil of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Primary School, Awka, identified as Master Success Ezemafo, was swept away by floodwater in late September”.
He added: “The child’s body was reportedly recovered the following day”.
Describing the incident as heartbreaking, the senator said the tragedy had left the boy’s mother, a university lecturer and PhD holder, devastated.
He said “the scale of destruction had compelled me to seek the Senate’s intervention because the magnitude of the environmental challenges exceeded what the state government could address alone”.
Consequently, the senator called on the federal government to intervene through the Office of the Ecological Fund, urging the relevant authorities to initiate emergency measures to contain the erosion menace and prevent further loss of lives and property.
He also urged the federal ministry of Works to undertake urgent engineering works along the Onitsha-Ogidi-Awka Federal Road, where persistent flooding has rendered a section of the route almost impassable.
According to him, floodwater has accumulated in the affected section, creating a large pond popularly referred to as ‘Ogidi Lake’ and forcing motorists to divert to the sides of the road to continue their journeys.
He explained that the absence of adequate drainage and effective water management had allowed floodwater to spill into neighbouring buildings and residential areas.
The senator added that flooding had also reached the palace of the traditional ruler of Ogidi, submerging vehicles parked within the premises.
He therefore called on the Anambra State Government to complement federal efforts by constructing drainage channels capable of directing stormwater to safe discharge points.
“The state government should not leave the entire responsibility to the federal government. It should join in finding a solution to the problem by building drainages around the cities so that the water can be properly channelled to discharge points,” he said.
The lawmaker also appealed to the South East Development Commission to prioritise environmental challenges in the region, particularly the persistent erosion menace affecting communities across the South-East.
Commenting further, the lawmaker said “I raised the issue with the commission during a meeting in Enugu on Monday, stressing that environmental protection should form an integral part of its development agenda”.
On the need for a lasting solution, the senator identified effective stormwater management as a critical measure for controlling erosion and preventing further destruction.
He explained that properly designed concrete drainage systems could collect rainwater and channel it to suitable discharge points, thereby reducing uncontrolled water flows that weaken the soil and threaten buildings.
