Flood Menace: FCTA Launches City-wide Drainage Clearance In Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has launched a city-wide drainage clearance operation in Abuja following torrential rainfall that triggered flash floods and submerged major roads in parts of the nation’s capital.

The emergency intervention, ordered by the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, aims to restore blocked and silted drainage channels and prevent a recurrence of flooding as the rainy season reaches its peak.

The acting executive secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Richard Dauda, who inspected the ongoing operation on Airport Road yesterday, said the exercise became necessary after Tuesday’s flash flood overwhelmed sections of the major road.

Dauda warned that the flooding threat was being compounded not only by intense rainfall but also by illegal developments, indiscriminate refuse dumping, and vandalism of critical drainage infrastructure.

He said the recent downpours were in line with earlier meteorological warnings and climate change trends, stressing that the Abuja Master Plan had always recognised certain locations, including parts of the Airport Expressway corridor, as floodplains.

According to him, Abuja’s drainage infrastructure was designed to accommodate heavy stormwater, but human activities had significantly reduced its capacity.

“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.

At one of the major flood choke points along the Airport Expressway, Dauda identified a triple-cell box culvert designed to carry a huge volume of water from the Galadima Roundabout.

He disclosed that a private developer had illegally narrowed the waterway downstream by constructing retaining walls to expand personal property.

Dauda warned that the obstruction was forcing stormwater to accumulate, flow backwards and eventually spill onto the expressway.

“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 boss also raised the alarm over the theft of metal gully inlet covers, saying vandals were effectively turning the drainage system into an open channel for refuse and other debris.

“When vandals steal these covers, it’s like stealing from yourself as a taxpayer,” he said.

He disclosed that the FCDA was considering replacing conventional steel and cast-iron covers with non-recyclable materials to make them less attractive to vandals.

Dauda said workers were already clearing and desilting trapezoidal drains, U-channels and culvert outlets along the Airport Expressway, adding that damaged sections would also be reconstructed where necessary.

He appealed to Abuja residents to stop dumping refuse into drainage channels and waterways, warning that even the most resilient infrastructure could fail without public cooperation.

The intervention comes amid renewed concerns over flooding in the capital, with the FCTA stepping up efforts to identify and eliminate physical obstructions blamed for worsening the impact of heavy rainfall across the city.