Umeh Seeks Ecological Disaster Declaration for Anambra Central

Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, has called on the Federal Government to declare the district an ecological disaster zone following worsening erosion and flooding.

Umeh made the call after visiting communities in Awka affected by severe erosion and flooding, including the families of a six-year-old boy who died after a school bus became trapped in floodwater.

He also visited the family of retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, DIG Celestine Okoye, whose community has been affected by advancing erosion that has submerged houses and damaged roads.

The senator said the scale of the environmental crisis had exceeded the capacity of residents and the state government to manage, requiring urgent Federal Government intervention.

“The entire Anambra is prone to erosion menace and flooding. Anambra Central, which I represent in the Senate, has been severely affected by the menace,” he said.

Umeh said several houses had already collapsed or were under threat from expanding erosion gullies, while continued rainfall could worsen the situation.

He said some affected areas, including erosion and flooding along the old Enugu-Onitsha road, could not be adequately addressed by the state government because the road was a federal highway.

The senator recalled that he had previously raised the issue of erosion and flooding in the Senate and would amend the existing motion to include the latest incidents in Awka.

He said he would continue to press for Federal Government intervention, noting that the ecological fund alone might not be sufficient to address the scale of the damage.

Umeh also urged the Senate to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the environmental situation across his senatorial district and take measures to protect affected communities.

He said communities in Obosi, Ogidi and other parts of the district had also suffered serious erosion and flooding in recent weeks.

Retired DIG Okoye, whose property was affected, said residents of Awka were living in difficult conditions as erosion continued to threaten homes and communities.

Umeh's call follows growing concerns over erosion and flooding in parts of Anambra, with recent incidents resulting in deaths, displacement, damaged roads and the destruction of residential buildings.