Erosion devastation: Ihembosi under siege

By O'star Eze

The landmass known as Ihembosi in Ekwusigo LGA a town sandwiched between Okija, Ukpor and Ozubulu in Anambra State is on the verge of being lost to erosion, a menace that is taking over hectares of land at staggering speed, thanks to the unchannelled flood that occurs every time it rains, due to a delay in building Ihembosi - Ozubulu road.

Lives are being lost, properties too, residents are vacating their homes relocating to other towns. Umuabo, Umunakwa, Uhualor, Chiekenta, Otukwe , Onucha, Ubahu, Umuohi are the eight villages that make up the community but over 12000 hectares of her land eroded badly, Umuohi, the youngest town and the most strategically positioned is already 90 per cent lost to erosion.

Orient Daily investigation shows that most of the flood that rushes into peoples homes comes from Ihembosi, Ozubulu, Ukpor road, a road that was contracted in 2016 but was abandoned until recently.

The President General of the town said that the road was awarded for construction in 2016 but was abandoned by the contractor. He said that it took series of advocacies by the community, in coalition with Community Based Monitors of the Voice to the People project and even threat that the community will work against the sitting governor to get the contractor mobilised just a few days before the election.

In his words; "As at three weeks ago, the contractor was telling us that he was yet to be mobilised to commence work on the site. But it seems that he was mobilised soon after as we started seeing work activities and heavy duty vehicles on the site."

He however expressed worry over the speed of the work and the size of the drainage system, which he said should be larger and deeper than the conventional to contain the high level of flood that occurs in the community whenever it rains. He pointed out that this flood is the reason for the disturbing rate at which erosion is consuming lands in the community.

Orient Daily investigation revealed that the erosion had already consumed 90 percent of one of the 8 villages (the youngest village), Umuoyi, and was about 12 yards away from the neighbouring village, Ubahu.

Orient Daily also found a high tension pole at the brink of one of the erosion sites. The vice president general of the community, Hon. Okoye Uzor Herbert claimed that the pole supplied more than 50 per cent of Ihembosi electric power and that the town union is weary of writing to the EEDC to draw their attention to the critical situation.

At least 200 houses will be lost at Ihembosi within the next eight months if the contractor handling the building of the badly damaged road does not revert to original specification, warns the community monitor and Vice President General of Ihembosi community, Okoye.

He said that the Ihembosi-Ozubulu road construction grossly increased the pace with which erosion is claiming hectares of land which places Ihembosi at the brink of extinction.

Hon. Okoye said that the contractor appeared at the site two days to governorship election and that he will know how serious the contractor is in the next one month. Narrating how the community was able to achieve the revival f work on the site, Okoye said, “We went to governor as a town union in first week of march, 2017. Nothing came out of it. We then started engaging our stakeholders in government on social media. The speaker visited Ihembosi on the first week of September and promised that they would start work on the site. We then said we would vote against the governor during the campaign which made APGA stakeholders work on the issue. This was probably why we sighted work on the site two days to election.”

Orient Daily discovered that the road in question is a slope that leads down to Ubu River in Chiekenta village, where the villagers are unanimously saying that high capacity gutters be constructed to direct the great flood that occurs whenever it rains, down to. They said that they had been giving the road palliative measures as a community given the importance of the road but they are quickly losing the battle as the erosion encroaches and takes over farmlands and property. It was learnt that Rt Hon. Afam Obi, Deputy speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly between 2007 to 2011, a native of Ihembosi had his wall razed down by the flood during the previous rainy season.

On questioning the labourers who were found manually excavating ground where drainage systems were meant to be, Orient Daily discovered that indeed, they were asked to dig the gutters three feet deep.

One of the few men who have refused to abandon their property and relocate from Umuohi, Bro Daniel Eze, the chairman of Umuohi village and Mr Doreen Anazodo, told Orient Daily that the erosion had taken over all their farmlands which was the only asset they had left for his children, and is on the verge of taking over their homestead.

According to the village head, “The tarred road from Ihembosi to Nnewi passed through Umuohi, and Umuohi is the first village to experience electric power supply in the community. Therefore, without Umuohi, there can be nothing like Ihembosi and losing Umuohi is losing the very heart of Ihembosi.I might not stay here by next year as the erosion is fast approaching my home.”

He blamed the abandoned Ihembosi - Ukpor road for the worsening of the erosion while suggesting a deeper drainage system that leads down to the Ubu river on the road.

Mr Anazodo said, "I am losing my farmlands and my children do not have any land for inheritance anymore. I have no other place to go and that is the only reason I have stayed put. All my neighbours have abandoned their houses and farmlands and relocated to neighbouring villages and towns.

"Anytime it rains, the sound of the rushing flood terrifies every homestead in Ihembosi, everywhere gets flooded and our community records loss of lives and properties," narrated the old man.

He was also of the opinion that channelling the flood properly with high capacity gutters to Ubu River will reduce the pace with which erosion is taking over the geographical location known as Ihembosi.