Reps raise alarm over gully erosion in Abia community

The House of Representatives has raised the alarm over the “life-threatening” gully erosions in Umunwanwa community in Umuahia South Local Government of Abia State.

The House, therefore, called on the Federal Government to direct the Ecological Fund Office to immediately embark on erosion control measures at the erosion sites to prevent the disaster that “shall” occur in the area if nothing is done immediately.

The House also called on the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources to direct the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) and the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) to take immediate measures to prevent any calamity likely to result from not taking action from the exposure of the pipeline in the affected area.

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It also mandated its joint Committees on Climate Change, Environment, and Petroleum Downstream to visit the erosion sites in Umunwanwa and make recommendations to the House within four (4) weeks on measures to be adopted to ensure a permanent solution to the erosion problems and the exposure of the pipelines and threat to lives, properties, and economic activities in the area.

These resolutions followed the adoption of a motion on matters of urgent public importance moved by Hon. Samuel Onuigbo.

In his lead debate, the lawmaker said: “Umunwanwa is a town in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State and has the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) pipeline passing through it, and the town has been devastated by severe erosion menace”.