Worried by the increasing threat to lives and properties by gully erosion in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area area of Delta State, a team of National Assembly members at the weekend inspected some damages done by the the rampaging floods, to seek possible solution to the problem.
The team led by the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Ecological Funds, Rt Hon. Ibrahim Ayokunle Isiaka, visited the one kilometer erosion site at UBE Road, Off Uromi Junction, Agbor, where they expressed shock over the level of devastation caused by the gully erosion and pledged immediate action.
The visit to the site as gathered, was facilitated by the member representing Ika Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Victor Nwokolo, who together with the member representing Ika North East Constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Anthony Elekeokwuri and his counterpart for Ika South Constituency, Hon Festus Okoh, were on ground to receive the visiting federal lawmakers to Agbor.
The Chairman of the Committee, Hon Ibrahim Ayokunle Isiaka, said they were at the site to assess the impact of the ecological disaster in the area, saying that what they saw requires urgent intervention.
Expressing shock at the depth of gullies created by the erosion, the lawmaker assured that the Federal Government will give priority attention to the problem.
“The impact of the ecological disaster in this area has gone beyond elimination stage as far as risk assessment is concerned. The canal already created by the gully erosion is now 12 meters wide and 10 meters deep. Residents of houses on the danger spots along the cliff of the deep gully should relocate in their own interest to avoid loss of lives,” Hon Ibrahim stated.
Continuing, he explained that “From what is on ground, the gully erosion has become a threat to humanity and it was not caused by human element as it is a natural disaster. Unless this ecological disaster on this road is urgently addressed, no meaningful work could be done on the Agbor axis of the Uromi -Agbor Expressway”.
The federal lawmaker stated that the visit was an oversight function of the Committee, and commiserated with residents of the UBE Road and its environs over the danger posed by the gully erosion, even as he commended them for not erecting structures on the water ways in addition to the non-dumping of refuse into the canal.
He disclosed that the Committee had already identified 2,731 erosion ravaged communities in the country, stressing that the Federal Government was committed to ensuring that erosion challenges were addressed with available resources and called on multi-national agencies and wealthy individuals to assist in mitigating the challenges.
For his part, the member representing Ika Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Hon. Victor Nwokolo, promised to ensure that the site was handled with prompt action by the relevant organs of government.
He urged residents to stay safe at all times, expressing optimism that the assessment visit by the Ecological Funds Committee will bring positive narratives to the locality.
In his reaction to the visit, the member representing Ika North East in the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Anthony Elekeokwuri, said erosion menace in Agbor metropolis has been very worrisome and stressed the need for more concerted efforts towards addressing the problem.
Residents who conducted the Committee round the site, thanked Members for the visit and appealed for immediate action to forestall further loss of buildings and other valuable properties.
