The intervention work at the Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka, erosion site, which also threatens the closest Federal High Court Complex and other public and private buildings may suffer setback for lack of funding.
The Nigerian Erosion Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) is jointly funded by the World Bank and Anambra government, which contract was awarded to check erosion menace in the area last year.
The Gully Rapid Erosion Action and Slope Stabilisation (GRASS) intervention commenced in October 2018 by IDC Construction Company Limited.
Zubi, an official of the company and site manager of the project told newsmen on Tuesday that the project had progressed steadily since they were mobilised to site and had reached 80 per cent completion.
Zubi expressed worry that the ensuing rain and lack of funds were posing danger to the successful completion of civil works at the site.
He said the company would be leaving site by the end of March if the project sponsors did not make money available to enable the company complete the job.
The engineer said the topography of the site was so precarious that if not properly managed, erosion from the coming rainy season may wash off all that had been achieved.
“We will leave here at the end of this month, we will leave this work and erosion will take it again if we don’t complete it”.
“If the World Bank approve money to allow us to continue and prevent water from moving on the left and right hand sides, it be disaster again.
“Look at the back-fillings, erosion from it is already eating them up because of the last few minutes rains, and NEWMAP said there is no money.
“When it rains this place is like river, because this is about the lowest points in Awka so runoff water from all over Awka converge here, the erosion here is so much”.
“If it rains for 30 minutes, water will run here for three hours, very speedy and strongly.
“When the rainy season comes it will take all these buildings, they are not saved yet, go to NEWMAP they will tell you more, they are trying but World Bank is not agreeing with them,” he said.
Also Speaking, Youssef Zghaib, the Project Manager of the site confirmed that the company would be wounding down operation at the end of the month if more money was not released.
Zghaib said the company had already incurred damage of about N25 million due to erosion activity on the site.
“The rain is already doing damage to the project here but it is still our responsibility, but in 15 days time we will hand over this site and it will not be our responsibility any more.
“Maybe His Excellency will put pressure on World Bank to provide more money, I don’t know. In the recent rains, we lost not less than N25 million but we are bearing the cost because we have not handed over,” he said.
Reacting, Mike Ivenso, project coordinator of NEWMAP, said he was not aware that the contractor was leaving the site.
Ivenso said the contract had tenure of 12 months and would not react to the threat of demobilising by the company officials.
He said the damage from erosion was expected whenever it rained.
