According to Wikipedia
the online encyclopedia, A gully is a landform created by running water, eroding sharply into soil, typically on a hillside. Gullies resemble
large ditches or small valleys, but are metres to
tens of metres in depth and width. When the gully formation is in process, the water flow rate can be substantial, which causes the
significant deep cutting action into soil.
Gullying or gully erosion is the
process by which gullies are formed. Hillsides are more prone to gullying when
they are cleared of vegetation, through deforestation, over-grazing or other means. The eroded soil is easily carried by the flowing water
after being dislodged from the ground, normally when rainfall falls during short, intense storms
such as during thunderstorms.
This is the story of a
community in Benin city among the Ikpoba Hill communities where the action of
gullying has sacked most of its inhabitants including Queen Ede Secondary
School. The position of the gully is just at the First Upstair Junction by
Benin-Agbor road. One of the notable buildings around the gully is St Thomas
Aquinas Catholic Church. These are pictures of the devastation which spans
something between 1.5 – 1.7km in length, 300 – 400metres in width and 200 –
300metres in depth. Please note actual measurements of the gully could turn out
to be more than is stated here.
This piece is also seizing this opportunity to solicit help in stopping
this erosion from deepening and restoring this gullied landscape.
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