By Fatima Saka
The Nigerian Senate has raised the alarm over erosion gullies exceeding 60 metres in depth in parts of Anambra State, warning that the environmental crisis is threatening homes, critical transport infrastructure and the ancestral lands of residents.
Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, raised the concern during plenary on Wednesday while presenting a motion on the devastating effects of flooding and erosion in Ogidi, Igbosi and Awka communities.
Umeh warned that the expanding gullies in the Oko-Mema community were extending towards the axis of the Onitsha–Awka road corridor, posing serious risks to residential buildings, properties and transport infrastructure.
He said the recurring environmental disasters had moved beyond the destruction of physical assets to a humanitarian crisis, with residents increasingly abandoning their homes and ancestral lands in search of safer places.
According to the senator, heavy rainfall had triggered devastating flooding and erosion in affected communities, resulting in loss of lives, destruction of houses, farmland, businesses and other critical infrastructure.
Umeh disclosed that at least four persons, including a pregnant woman and a six-year-old pupil of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Primary School, Awka, had reportedly died in flood-related incidents.
He added that several families had been displaced, numerous homes submerged and agricultural lands, economic trees and cash crops destroyed, worsening food insecurity and economic hardship.
The lawmaker also warned that damaged roads and inaccessible communities were disrupting school activities, economic transactions and residents’ movement, while exposing vulnerable areas to additional security risks.
He said the scale and recurrence of flooding and erosion had overwhelmed the capacity of affected communities to respond effectively, making urgent and coordinated federal intervention necessary.
Umeh urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide immediate relief materials, including food, potable water, temporary shelter and medical supplies, to affected and displaced residents.
He also called on the Federal Ministry of Works and relevant agencies to assess and rehabilitate damaged roads and provide adequate drainage systems, while urging the Federal Ministry of Environment to implement sustainable flood and erosion control measures.
The senator further asked relevant ecological intervention agencies to prioritise the affected communities for emergency remediation and long-term environmental restoration.
He urged the Senate Committees on Environment, Works, Ecology and Climate Change to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the affected locations and submit their findings and recommendations within two weeks.
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The motion attracted contributions from Senator Anthony Ani, representing Ebonyi South, who highlighted the devastating effects of flash floods in his constituency, and Senator Osita Izunaso of Imo West, who warned that erosion and flooding continued to destroy roads, homes and farmlands in parts of Imo State.
The Senate adopted prayers seeking emergency relief, rehabilitation of damaged roads and coordinated intervention to address flooding and erosion in the affected communities.
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