Erosion
is a force of nature which humanity has learnt how
to manage and live with since antiquity. Southeastern
Nigeria, to which Alaigbo belongs, is in equatorial
rain forest climatic zone and receives about 80
inches of rainfall annually. This area has one of
the highest population densities in sub-Saharan
Africa. The loose rock and soil formation makes
it easy for development of sheet, rill and gully
erosion throughout the former Eastern Nigeria. Authorities
in erosion believe that there are, at least, 2,500
gully sites in the Southeast zone, with more than
700 of those located in Anambra state.
This page is dedicated to function as a repository
for matters that relate to the menace of erosion
and efforts and strategies for dealing with the
scourge that is ravaging our ancestral land and
everything in it. Expert views on the genesis of
flood and gully erosion as well as diverse methodologies
for dealing with them shall be offered. It is hoped
that enhanced knowledge about erosion is a necessary
prerequisite in any successful popular campaign
to control this menace in Alaigbo and elsewhere
in Nigeria. Resources for combating erosion shall
be researched and collated for easy referencing.
Past and present efforts as well as future plans
for controlling erosion, particularly in equatorial
rain forest climatic belt in Nigeria, shall be provided
to persuade and inspire all those interested to
join a new crusade against this worsening threat.
Erosion
gullies have now advanced into some
urban centers in Alaigbo as depicted
in this photo. Ugly faces of gully
erosion, which manifest in various
forms, litter the once lush landscape
of our rain forest homeland. Ugly
Faces of Erosion Gullies
page offers a pictorial summation
of ravages of erosion menace in
Southeast Nigeria.
REMEMBER:The way we
understand and take care of our immediate
surroundings tells the world a lot about
who we are as a people and the reverence
with which we regard our indigenous African
value system. Join the crusade TODAY
to protect and preserve the sanctity of
our ancestral homeland.
Understanding
Erosion Menace & Its Ultimate Remedy
Anambra
Bi-Atlantic Erosion Commission (ABEC) is confident that
the grassroots shall provide bulk of the needed manpower
and surveillance that are key elements in stopping erosion
menace at its very source of origin. Flood water runoff
originates from homesteads and farmlands across the land.
Enlightened and mobilized grassroots population can eliminate
flood water erosion and gully formation by implementing
the "zero runoff" principle in all towns, villages,
farmlands and homesteads in Anambra state.
Gully
Erosion in Alaigbo
"According to credible reports, Anambra, Abia,
Imo, Enugu and Ebonyi States have over 750, 650, 500,
400 and 250 major erosion sites respectively. This
gully census is conservative and incomplete since
smaller and young gullies were not enumerated. These
younger gullies shall ultimately mature within next
year and pose as serious a hazard as older ones"
- Prof. Boniface Egboka......more
.......A
dose of Igbo Worldview
Valuable farmlands, homesteads and roadways are devastated
along this corridor in an ongoing basis. This type
of major environmental disaster cannot be effectively
addressed through the award of federal contracts only.
The local population must be mobilized to get involved
through the inculcation of a maintenance culture that
corrects problems on regular basis before monstrous
catastrophes occur. - Dr. Okenwa
Nwosu .........more
Planning
for Erosion Control
"The practices selected to control erosion should
be based on a combination of principles. First, the
practices should maintain soil infiltration rates
at high levels to reduce runoff to negligible amounts.
Examples are mulching and vegetation cover. Second,
they should safely dispose of runoff from the field.
Such physical structures as hedgerows, contour canals,
stone walls, and terraces are used for this."
- VITA Volunteer, Jim Chamberlain
.....more
Study
of Nanka Formation
The presence of the Awka-Orlu highland standing over
300m above sea level at Isuofia but which falls to
about 200m at Nanka implies the existence of a large
hydraulic gradient and attendant increase in the velocity
of water down the Odo river within Nanka town. This
has caused the "quick sound" responsible
for the gully erosion in the area. -
E. A. Emenike........more
A
draft legislation designed to kick-start and streamline integrated
erosion control measures in states of the Southeast and elsewhere
has been presented to political and community leaders of this
zone for review, debate, ratification and enactment. It requires
a bold frontal attack by generality of the citizenry, especially
at the grassroots level, for us to be able to permanently
eliminate the erosion menace that is ravaging our land. An
empowering legislation shall send the message to all and sundry
that there is a popular will to confront and overcome the
threat that erosion has poses to the well being of the average
citizen. Study this draft bill and make your own input as
you see fit. But most important of all, throw your weight
behind it in order to press for its enactment without further
delay. Make representations to your governor, representatives
and community leaders in Nigeria and press them to step up
to meet the imperatives of their responsibilities to our collective
welfare. We can conquer and subdue the erosion menace that
is desecrating our ancestral land. How can you personally
help in this effort?
