The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has launched a city-wide operation to clear silt and debris from drainage channels across Abuja following heavy rainfall that triggered flash flooding in parts of the nation’s capital.
The exercise is aimed at improving the flow of stormwater through the city’s drainage network and reducing the risk of further flooding as the rainy season reaches its peak.
The ongoing operation was inspected along the Airport Expressway on Thursday by the Acting Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA, Richard Dauda.
Dauda said the clearance exercise was ordered by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, after a flash flood affected the Airport Expressway on Tuesday.
According to him, the administration is taking steps to address weaknesses in the drainage system and improve the capacity of existing infrastructure to handle heavy volumes of rainwater.
He explained that the recent downpours were consistent with earlier meteorological warnings and broader climate change trends, but said flooding along some parts of Abuja could not be attributed to rainfall alone.
Dauda noted that the Abuja Master Plan already recognises certain locations, including the Airport Expressway axis, as flood plains.
He said infrastructure had originally been designed with the capacity to accommodate substantial volumes of water, but human activities over time had reduced the effectiveness of some of those facilities.
One of the major problems identified by the FCDA is the accumulation of silt and waste inside drainage channels.
“Some of these drainage facilities over time have been silted. Part of the cause is residents dumping refuse into drainage channels,” Dauda said.
He explained that the problem becomes more serious during heavy rainfall because waste dumped around drainage systems can be carried into the channels and eventually block water outlets.
“When rain falls, it washes down polythene bags, waste, and even large objects that block the outlets,” he added.
The Acting Executive Secretary identified illegal development and infrastructure vandalism as two major human activities worsening the city’s flash-flooding problems.
During the inspection, he highlighted a significant obstruction along the Airport Expressway involving a triple-cell box culvert.
The culvert was designed to provide an outlet for a substantial volume of water flowing from the Galadima Roundabout. However, according to Dauda, the waterway had been constricted further downstream by a private developer.
He said the developer had constructed retaining walls as part of an effort to expand a personal plot, thereby reducing the space available for water to flow.
The restriction, Dauda explained, means that the drainage system can no longer discharge the volume of water it was designed to carry.
“What that causes is that the volume of water that ought to pass no longer passes, causing detention, backflow, and eventual flooding,” he said.
The FCDA official said restoring the waterway’s intended capacity would require the removal of the structures that had been constructed by the developer.
“To restore adequate discharge capacity, we must remove the structures built by this developer,” Dauda stated.
The administration’s intervention therefore extends beyond simply clearing silt from existing drains. It also involves addressing physical obstructions that reduce the ability of drainage infrastructure to discharge stormwater.
Dauda also raised concerns about vandalism of drainage infrastructure, particularly the theft of metal gully inlet covers.
According to him, the covers serve an important purpose by preventing large pieces of waste and debris from entering underground drainage systems.
Once the covers are removed, he said, debris can enter the drainage network directly and contribute to blockages.
“When vandals steal these covers, it’s like stealing from yourself as a taxpayer,” Dauda remarked.
The FCDA is considering a different approach to prevent the repeated theft of the covers. Dauda said the authority was exploring the use of replacement materials made from non-recyclable compounds instead of steel or cast iron.
The proposed change is intended to reduce the attractiveness of the drainage components to vandals while maintaining their function within the drainage system.
Meanwhile, physical desilting work is already underway along the Airport Expressway.
Dauda confirmed that workers were clearing different types of drainage infrastructure, including trapezoidal drains, U-channels and culvert outlets.
The authority also plans to reconstruct damaged points where necessary as part of the ongoing intervention.
The operation follows Tuesday’s flash flooding along the Airport Expressway and comes as heavy rainfall continues to place pressure on drainage infrastructure across the Federal Capital Territory.
While acknowledging the role of intense rainfall, Dauda stressed that the effectiveness of the city’s drainage network is also dependent on how residents interact with the infrastructure.
He particularly urged residents to stop disposing of refuse inside waterways and drainage channels.
The warning reflects the administration’s concern that government efforts to maintain and improve drainage infrastructure could be undermined if waste continues to enter the system.
Dauda said public cooperation was essential to ensuring that drainage facilities perform the function for which they were constructed.
The FCTA’s current intervention is consequently focused on clearing existing blockages, restoring drainage capacity and addressing physical obstructions that have affected the movement of stormwater.
At the same time, the administration is warning against activities that can further compromise the system, including illegal construction within waterways and the vandalism of drainage components.
The FCDA’s inspection along the Airport Expressway also exposed how a drainage system can be affected when downstream water channels are restricted by construction.
In the case identified by Dauda, the obstruction around the triple-cell box culvert has reduced the amount of water that can move away from the area, creating conditions that can lead to detention, backflow and flooding.
The administration intends to remove structures that obstruct the waterway in order to restore its discharge capacity.
The desilting operation, meanwhile, is being carried out across different drainage structures, with reconstruction planned for sections that have suffered damage.
Dauda’s message to residents was that maintaining Abuja’s drainage system cannot be left entirely to government agencies.
He urged the public to stop dumping waste into waterways and to protect drainage infrastructure from vandalism.
The FCTA’s position is that the combination of functioning drainage facilities and responsible public behaviour is necessary to reduce flood risks, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall.
As the current desilting operation continues, the administration is therefore combining physical clearance work with warnings against the human activities it says have contributed to the deterioration and obstruction of drainage channels across the capital.
Flooding: FCTA Begins City-Wide Drain Desilting, Warns Against Vandalism and Illegal Structures
