Erosion wrecks two classrooms, threatens four others in Anambra school

Students and teachers at Ezi-Awka Community Secondary School in Anambra State face mounting fears as erosion and flooding have destroyed two classroom blocks, with four more and the staff room now under threat of collapse. The school community is appealing for urgent government intervention.

The two classroom blocks caved in after persistent rainfall triggered severe flooding and erosion within the school premises. Fortunately, the buildings collapsed after school hours, preventing any casualties. However, the incident has significantly disrupted academic activities and heightened safety concerns among students, teachers, and parents. Some students have already withdrawn from the school due to the ongoing risks.

School officials, including Principal Eucharia Ogbunyi, Chairman of the School-Based Management Committee Chief Igwedimma Muologwu, and Senior Prefect Uchechukwu Obi, attribute the escalating erosion to poor urban planning and inadequate drainage infrastructure in the area. They highlighted that the persistent rainfall has intensified the erosion, putting more school buildings in danger.

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We are facing erosion challenges in the area, and it is now worsening due to persistent rainfall. The erosion has already pulled down two classroom blocks, while four other classroom blocks and the staff room are now under serious threat of collapse.

"We are facing erosion challenges in the area, and it is now worsening due to persistent rainfall. The erosion has already pulled down two classroom blocks, while four other classroom blocks and the staff room are now under serious threat of collapse," they stated. The situation has created anxiety, forcing some students to leave and leaving those who remain in constant danger.

A construction engineer, Alex Chukwunwike, proposed a comprehensive erosion-control project involving drainage construction and landscaping to divert floodwater. The Acting Managing Director of the Anambra State Erosion, Watershed and Climate Change Agency, Ifeanyi Nwasinoke, assured the school that an assessment report would be submitted to the appropriate authorities.

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It has forced several students to withdraw from the school, while those who remain, alongside teachers, face constant danger from the threatened buildings, which could collapse at any moment.