Anambra State Commissioner for Environment, Clem Aguiyi, has raised the alarm over the worsening impact of gully erosion and flooding on the state, warning that the environmental crisis poses a growing threat to its long-term survival. Speaking in an interview, Aguiyi said Anambra’s limited landmass was already under intense pressure from environmental degradation and stressed that tackling the challenges would require collective efforts beyond government intervention alone.
Anambra is in the South-East region.
The Anambra State Commissioner for Environment, Clem Aguiyi, has described the state’s worsening erosion and flooding situation as a “war” threatening the long-term survival of the people, warning that urgent collective action is required to prevent further environmental degradation.
Speaking in an interview, Aguiyi said Anambra’s limited landmass was under growing pressure from gully erosion and other environmental challenges, stressing that the problem could not be solved by government intervention alone.
He warned that if the situation was not tackled at its source, “in the next twenty years we may not have Anambra to call our own because every place will be taken over and swallowed by erosion.”
The Commissioner identified indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainage channels, construction on waterways, deforestation and poor stormwater management as major factors aggravating flooding and erosion across the state.
He urged residents to change their approach to development by protecting natural waterways, planting trees and ensuring proper drainage, while encouraging property owners to provide catchment pits, surface tanks, permeable spaces and green areas to reduce storm-water runoff.
Aguiyi also warned against buying or developing properties on waterways, saying, “People keep buying lands on these waterways, thereby causing water to leave its natural course to find a way. But water must always find a way.”
The warning comes as the state government intensifies enforcement and early intervention.
In July, Aguiyi ordered the closure of an illegal dumpsite at Amaenye- Ene, Abagana, after an inspection of a gully erosion site in Njikoka Local Government Area, which was estimated at more than ten metres deep and had damaged drainage infrastructure while threatening nearby homes, roads and public assets.
The government blamed a combination of the area’s fragile terrain and human activities, particularly improper waste disposal, and urged residents to report emerging erosion, keep drainage channels clear and protect waterways from encroachment.
The administration said environmental sustainability is part of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s Solution Agenda, with emphasis on erosion control, enforcement of environmental laws and responsible environmental practices.
Meanwhile, the state is also pushing for greater community participation in environmental protection, with Aguiyi calling on community leaders to monitor construction activities, ensure proper catchment systems, prevent the blockage of drainage channels and waterways, and encourage tree planting and the creation of green areas.
He said the challenge was not necessarily the absence of environmental laws but compliance and enforcement, insisting that the regulations must apply to everyone regardless of social, political or traditional status.
The Commissioner also disclosed that the monthly sanitation exercise scheduled for Saturday, August 22, was moved away from August 29 because of the local government elections and would form part of the state’s broader environmental emergency response aimed at changing public attitudes to waste disposal, drainage management, flooding and erosion.
