Following the directive of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu dispatching an inter-ministerial team to urgently visit the site of the gully erosion along Isuikwuato-Okigwe federal road, the state Ministry of Environment is set to commence remediation work at the site this weekend.
This was revealed by the State Commissioner for Environment, Dr Aham Uko, in an interview with newsmen this evening in Umuahia.
According to him, “Our team of Engineers have conducted a thorough evaluation of the Isuikwuato site today and we hope to commence the remediation this weekend”.
Also speaking, the State Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, expressed appreciation to the Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, for his prompt response to the situation along the federal road that links Abia State to Imo and Ebonyi States.
In his words: “This administration is demonstrably focused on responding to the needs of the people of the state who graciously elected Dr Ikpeazu as their Governor and have supported him strongly. While we recognize that the primary responsibility of arresting the gully erosion is constitutionally that of the federal government, the state is ready to intervene to ensure that our people find safe passage way pending when help will come from relevant federal agencies.
“During the last Niger Delta Council held in the State, we took officials of the federal ministry of Niger Delta to that site and pleaded for urgent intervention to save the road from total collapse. Sadly, the gully has progressed very fast and we now have a situation where vehicles cannot pass through that road.
“As a responsible government, we cannot fold our hands and watch our people suffer while waiting for help from Abuja. We are set to undertake palliative work to remedy the situation while still pleading with the federal government to come to our aid by declaring that area and others threatened by rampaging gully erosion as ecological disaster zones with a view to deploying the resources of the country to deliver a permanent solution to the erosion menace at Isuikwuato and other locations in the state”, he concluded.
