The red soil of Adazi-Nnukwu

This is the southeastern part of Nigeria precisely Adazi-Nnukwu. Here, the soil is reddish due to the oxidation of the iron II present in the soil to iron III. This our beautifully coloured soil is also very easily washed away especially when not protected by the native vegetation. Unfortunately, the pressures from urbanization and economy have not only led to the disappearance of the taller vegetation but of also the grass-coverings of the frail red soil.

The picture above shows how the massive loss of our soil begin. First from small hallows then to deeper gullies until the roads degenerate to gully sites for visiting tourists. There is, however, a need to follow through with any development on our land and ensure its sustainability. For instance, when our community decides to use a piece of land as road for transportation, it is necessary to ensure that a proper tarred road with sufficient drainage channels are constructed to avoid soil loss (erosion). If on the other hand, they feel unprepared for the tarred roads then there will be need to ensure that the vegetation remain in place as there will be no other option considering the susceptibility of the red soil to the agents of erosion.

I shall deal with this in details subsequently.