(Abuja Flooding. Photo Credit: News Express)
The Federal Capital Development Authority has blamed human activities for undermining Abuja’s drainage system and worsening flooding across the city, despite insisting the infrastructure itself is adequate to handle heavy rainfall.
The Acting Executive Secretary of the FCDA, Richard Dauda, made this disclosure while inspecting drainage infrastructure and ongoing desilting operations along the Airport Expressway.
Heavy rainfall recorded in the city two days earlier was in line with meteorologist warnings and Abuja’s Master Plan, which recognises certain areas as flood-prone.
The drainage infrastructure provided across the city was designed to manage stormwater volumes generated by heavy downpours, though the system’s capacity has been severely compromised by human interference.
The major problem lies with refuse dumping, silt accumulation, overgrown vegetation and other forms of human interference.
Debris washed from surrounding communities, including polythene bags and other waste, regularly ends up inside drainage channels and blocks culvert outlets, preventing water from draining as designed.
When outlets become constricted, the volume of water the system can drain is drastically reduced.
The challenges extend beyond refuse dumping. Illegal construction and vandalism of drainage infrastructure are also hampering the system’s effectiveness.
Dauda pointed to a waterway carrying stormwater from Galadima Roundabout as an example, where a developer had constricted the channel downstream of the Airport Expressway by constructing retaining walls.
This obstruction reduces the volume of water the channel can carry, resulting in water detention, backflow and eventual flooding.
Removing such structures would restore adequate discharge volume and stream channel width.
Theft of gully inlet covers has also left the drainage system vulnerable.
These covers are designed to sieve debris before it enters drainage channels, but their removal by vandals allows debris to enter unchecked.
The FCDA is considering replacing stolen covers with non recyclable materials to discourage future theft.
Following Tuesday’s flash flood on the Airport Expressway, the FCT Minister directed all relevant agencies to commence city wide desilting of drainage channels.
The directive covers trapezoidal drains, U – channels and culverts across the city, with new construction to be undertaken where necessary.
Desilting operations are already underway along the Airport Expressway as efforts to restore the drainage system’s capacity ahead of further heavy rainfall.
Dauda appealed to residents to stop dumping refuse into drainage channels and waterways, stressing that infrastructure alone would not prevent flooding if residents continued to compromise the drainage system.
