EROSION MENACE: ENUGU GOVT. SENDS SOS TO FG
The Enugu State Government has appealed to the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the gully erosion at Amauzam, Enugu Ngwo community in Enugu North Local Government Area of the state, saying that its gravity was enormous for the state government to handle alone.
The appeal, which came on the heels of the recent incident which has been threatening to sack some homes in the area, was made by the Enugu State Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources, Amb. Fidel Ayogu who visited the site in company of the chairman of the council area, Hon. Isaac Igwe and the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the governor on Special Project, Dr. Josef Umunnakwe Onoh.
Amb. Ayogu who disclosed that they were at the site on the instruction of the state governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to take a comprehensive survey of the erosion site for urgent intervention, noted that the menace had been in existence prior to the inception of the present administration.
He stressed that the incident requires the intervention of the federal government through the ecological fund or other related interventions for adequate control and management, adding that the huge amount of money required to tackle the problem was not within the resources of the state government.
While sympathizing with the people of the community on the ugly development, the commissioner assured them that the state government would do all that are required to ensure that the problem was tackled for safety of lives and property.
Also speaking, the council chairman, Hon. Igwe said that the enormity of the threat posed by the erosion was not something the local and state governments can handle alone and equally called on the federal government to come to the rescue of the people of the area.
He commended the prompt response of the governor in sending his commissioner for environment and other top government functionaries to the site for proper evaluation of the menace for necessary action, adding the state government is already intervening in the matter.
In his remark, the Chairman of Enugu Ngwo community, Sir. Chris Ejike Agu said that the erosion started in the community over 15 years ago and expressed confident that the present governor of the state will rescue them out of the danger being posed by the erosion.
