The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has launched a city-wide drainage clearance operation as part of efforts to reduce the risk of flooding following heavy rainfall in Abuja.
The exercise covers major drainage channels, culverts and waterways across the Federal Capital Territory and follows flash flooding recorded along the Airport Expressway on Tuesday.
The Acting Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Mr Richard Dauda, disclosed this on Thursday while inspecting ongoing desilting works along the Airport Expressway.
Dauda said the intervention was directed by the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, to strengthen the city’s flood-control infrastructure during the peak of the rainy season.
He said although the recent heavy rainfall was consistent with earlier meteorological warnings and the effects of climate change, human activities had compounded the flooding situation.
According to him, the Abuja Master Plan recognises some locations, including parts of the Airport Expressway corridor, as flood plains.
He explained that drainage infrastructure had been designed to cope with substantial volumes of storm water but had, over time, been compromised by indiscriminate waste disposal, illegal construction and vandalism.
“Some of these drainage facilities over time have been silted. Part of the cause is residents dumping refuse into drainage channels.
“When rain falls, it washes down polythene bags, waste and even large objects that block the outlets,” he said.
Dauda identified illegal development as one of the major factors obstructing the natural flow of storm water.
He pointed to a triple-cell box culvert along the expressway, designed to convey a large volume of water from the Galadima Roundabout, and said its capacity had been undermined by an illegal development downstream.
According to him, a private developer had constructed retaining walls to extend a private plot, thereby narrowing the waterway and restricting the movement of storm water.
“What that causes is that the volume of water that ought to pass no longer passes, causing detention, backflow and eventual flooding.
“To restore adequate discharge capacity, we must remove the structures built by this developer,” he said.
The FCDA official also expressed concern over the vandalism of metal gully covers, saying their removal allows refuse and other debris to enter underground drainage systems, leading to blockages.
“When vandals steal these covers, it’s like stealing from yourself as a taxpayer,” he said.
Dauda disclosed that the FCDA was exploring alternative materials that could replace steel and cast-iron drainage covers and make them less attractive to vandals.
He said the ongoing operation covers the desilting of trapezoidal drains, U-channels and culvert outlets along the Airport Expressway, while damaged sections would be reconstructed where necessary.
Dauda urged residents to desist from dumping refuse in drainage channels and waterways, stressing that effective flood management requires cooperation between the government and residents.
He also warned against unauthorised construction on waterways and other drainage corridors, saying such activities could obstruct storm-water flow and worsen flooding in the nation’s capital.
