By Okey Maduforo Awka
About 15 persons have so far been reported dead while 200 buildings are on the verge of collapsing as a result of sand mining in Uga Community in Aguata local government area of Anambra state.
The sand mining business has continued to worsen the menace of gully erosion in the area known to be an erosion devastated villages .
More worrisome is the destruction of three newly constructed roads in the area by tippers that frequent the sites to carry sands ; a development that has continued to collapse the road infrastructure in the area .
Recall that the Anambra state government through the Commissioner for Environment Dr Clem Aguiyi has banned sand excavations in select Towns in the state and especially the Aguata, Orumba North and South Council Areas.
Government has also set up Task Force to monitor sand mining in those Communities warning that it would not take kindly to those activities lamenting that the land mass of Anambra state is shrinking on daily bases duo to the menace of gully erosion in the state.
Deepening the fate of villagers in Uga Community is the alleged use of some youths in the area by sand miners to creat insecurity in most villages in Uga Community there by splitting the Town Union Youth Association who are on the pay roll of the alleged perpetrators.
When reporters visited the Umudimishi Village in Uga Community, residents of the area protested and appealed to Governor Charles Soludo to visit the area on a fact finding mission and to ultimately stop the activities of the miners .
According to Nze Jude Ibeabuchukwu Ugochukwu Chairman Umudimishi Village Uga in Aguata local government area;
“We have been victims of gully erosion and since I was born, I grew up to see gully erosion in my Town”
“We have about five gully erosion sites in my area such as the one that came from our neighboring Town Umueze , another one in our Town and also more in all places “
“We have been witnessing gully erosion for over 37 years now but successive governments and we the villagers have been working on the gullies”
Ugochukwu further lamented that the effect of sand mining is such that youths in the area don’t want to go out and do business or do something useful for themselves.
“Every morning they visit the mining sites because of the spitance that they get from there and they don’t want to be useful to themselves”
“The mining has gotten to residential areas where people are residing like Umudimishi , Awarasi and Agbakuwa villages “
“So far 200 buildings are now at risk of gully erosion and before the end of this year or by next five months at least 70 houses would be destroyed by gully erosion caused by the activities of sand mining in our Town”
He contended that the land belong to the Town adding that the Community did not give anyone the approval to mine sand the area.
Ugochukwu recalled that there used to be the initial miners called Morning Star who were using hands to excavate sand before the advent of excavators .
“Today, the excavators pay N400.00 per excavator and some money for the youths of our Community “
The Community Leader lamented that the sand mining business has affected the roads constructed by Governor Charles Soludo because those trucks that come to carry sand have used their weights to destroy those newly constructed roads and most potions are beginning to collapse.
“Roads such as the Obizi road , Umueze road , Ugwu- Onyeocha road to Nkwo- Uga , Awarasi are being destroyed”
“We call on government to come and visit those areas with a fact finding team to access the level of environmental degradation as well as the destruction of the newly constructed roads ” he said.
Similarly Mr Ifeanyichukwu Agbara the Chairman of the Youths in Umudimishi village of Uga confirmed that over 15 persons have died at the mining sites while some were killed by gunmen some time ago.
“We have been fighting to ensure that our youths get into something meaningful and not to depend on that sand mining”
“They don’t want to learn any trade all they that they do is to go to the beach site to mine sand”
“Some of our youths have formed a parallel youth organization as against the official youth organization”
“They call themselves Ekwere- Kwesike they pay them N1,000.00 each tipper load which they share everyday”
“This beach site business has killed a lot of youths of the Town because sometimes it collapses while the youths are on the site “
“We have like seven youths that have died on they site”
“Sometime ago it killed four other people at the same time “
“Also there was an incident where some gunmen stormed the site and opened fire on the people working there and killed about three of them “
“The total number of deaths is about 15 of them and that is why we are calling on government to come and help us and we are ready to take the government to the area; he lamented.
