Hon Andaye flanked by other council officials during the media chat with journalists batbthe waterfront of Akugbene
By Owos Cosmas, Warri
Worried by the alarming levels of devastating coastal gully erosion that flattened several buildings at Akugbene town, the Bomadi Area Council Chairman, Hon Dagidi Andaye has called on the federal and Delta State government as well as relevant interventionist agencies to swiftly come to the rescue of the community.
He made the call while fielding questions from journalists at the waterfront of the community at the end of an inspection tour of the area devastated by erosion.
According to him, with the level of harm done to the landscape of the community by the erosion the survival of indigenes and residents of the community lies in the hands of the federal government, the Delta State Government and relevant interventionist agencies like the NNDC as the problem is beyond the resources capacity of the Bomadi local council to handle.
In an appeal he said if urgent intervention measures were not taken, the perennial flooding that affect theommunity would further worsen the situation and could lead to a catastrophic humanitarian problem.
Taking inventory of the damage done by the erosion, Hon Andaye noted that houses were flattened, boats washes away and other means of livelihood destroyed. He however assured the people of provision of relief materials to cushion their sufferings.
” 99 per cent of all the communities in Bomadi Council Area are coastal and are faced with similar coastal erosion challenges like that of Akugbene town” he said and hence suggested that as a remedial measure, either pilling or heavy concrete shore walls be erected to provide lasting solution to the problem.
The Community Chairman of Akugbene town, Mr Cletus Edougha was emotional in talking qbout the untold hardship faced by families whose houses were flattened by the coastal gully erosion and called for prompt release of relief materials to the affected families.
He said the areas impacted by the coastal gully erosion had concrete shore lines embankment but has been weakend over the years of attack by the erosion.
As a temporary remediation effort, Rt Hon Nicholas Mutu, member representing Bomadi/Patani federal Constituency has timely deployed dredgers to sand fill the area, Edougha informed .
In comments from some victims of the sad development, Mrs Suogha Gbawei a widow and business woman from the affected area lamented that her entire means of livelihood was gone and she now live in a tent with her children .
“The erosion has washed away my building and store, I now beg to feed my children”.
Also another victim of the gully erosion Mrs Lobia Akpoyibo in narrating her harrowing experience said it was by stroke of luck that she and her children managed to escape from her collapsing building when the erosion occured adding that her deserted home would soon cave in as the walls holding the building will soon collapse by an attack of the next rainstorm and gully erosion.
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