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By Madu Obi
A section of the ever -busy Onitsha- Owerri expressway has been cut off at Oba, Idemili South local government area of Anambra State by a major landslide. As a result, only one lane of the road is being used by motorists.
Apart from cordoning off the affected area, officials of the Federal Ministry of Works are yet to begin the reconstruction.
The slide is about 100 meters deep and about 400 meters in length. The concrete culvert earlier used to control gully erosion in the area was buried by the landslide, while cracks were seen about one kilometer along the road from the popular Oba junction.
Many buildings in the newly developed estates in the area are already being threatened by the slide. Some property owners were seen inspecting the extent of damage with a view to deciding what action to take.
With the rainy season getting to its peak, there are fears that the landslide might claim more land in the area.
An Onitsha- based businessman, Chief Francis Nnaka who said he has a two- storey building close to the affected area called on those responsible for controlling gully erosion to intervene without further delay, other many buildings and land already acquired for development, would be lost to the slide.
He said: "Government cannot say that it did not know that gully erosion was developing on this spot for over one year. If they had controlled it at that level, this massive slide would not have occurred. Now, hundreds of millions of naira would be spent to handle it.
"And if nothing is done immediately, both lanes of the expressway will be affected, which might lead to a complete closure of the Oba section of the road."
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