|By Emmanuel Okonkwo (ABS News)
AWKA — Torrential rainfall has caused significant damage in Awka metropolis, with two buildings collapsing at Umudioka by Agu-Oye and four electricity poles falling near the Old Government House area.
An ABS News crew that visited the affected areas observed that the two buildings at Umudioka collapsed after a nearby gully erosion site caved into the structures.
At Aroma, four electricity poles carrying high-tension wires had also fallen, with officials of First Power disconnecting the affected lines at the time of filing the report.
Lady Okwudilichukwu Nweke, a member of the family that owns one of the collapsed buildings, said the incident occurred suddenly during the rainfall.
She attributed the collapse to improper water channeling in the area, which had gradually developed into a gully.
Nweke said no casualty was recorded in the incident, but appealed to the state government to come to the family’s aid, saying the family had been rendered homeless after floodwaters swept away most of their property.
Reacting to the development, the Managing Director of the Awka Capital Development Authority (ACTDA), Dr Ossy Onuko, said the collapse was caused by an age-long gully erosion that had gradually caved into houses in the area.
Onuko assured that the state government would take necessary steps to address the erosion site and prevent further damage.
He said there were several erosion sites across Anambra requiring urgent intervention, stressing the need for individuals and groups to support the state government’s efforts to tackle the menace.
According to him, the state was losing land to erosion on a daily basis.
Onuko also advised residents to desist from practices that could contribute to flooding and erosion.
