Abia Govt to tackle gully erosion menace in Aba
From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Abia State Government has promised to tackle the gully erosion that has ravaged Ogbor Hill part of Aba, the state’s commercial nerve centre.
The promise was made by Governor Alex Otti when he visited the gully erosion site along Ovom Street Aba which had not only cut the road into two but created long valley and collapsed many buildings and destroyed landed properties within the area.
Governor Otti directed the General Manager, Greater Aba Development Authority (GADA) to see him for immediate mobilisation of experienced engineers and contractors to find a lasting solution to the problem.
Otti said, “It’s very unfortunate that erosion has dealt a deadly blow in this area and the way it is going, if it is not controlled immediately it will not only affect all the buildings around here but also the opposite side of the road where we are building people’s road and we should be completing that road any moment from now.
“So, we need to come very quickly and I have given the instruction to the General Manager of Greater Aba Development Agency and he should be meeting me later this evening so that we’ll start solving the problem in the next few weeks.
“We are starting immediately, by the time we engage the engineers and contractors, because it is not going to be done by direct labour. We need people who understand what to do. But I believe that it is something that we should deal with before the end of this year.”
The Governor disclosed that he had instructed the General Manager of the Greater Aba Development Authority to evacuate those living around there.
“I had asked him to evacuate everybody that is living around here. So, if you look around these houses, there is no body in there. Those who are very close here, I had already gotten them evacuated. So, I hope nobody goes back to some of these buildings because it’s very dangerous”, the governor said.
