The Federal Capital Territory Administration has undertaken a city-wide desilting of drainage channels following Tuesday’s heavy rainfall, which caused flash floods across parts of Abuja.

Acting executive secretary of the FCDA, Richard Dauda, during an inspection of the ongoing clearance operations along the Airport Expressway on Thursday, said the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, directed the execution of the project.

Mr Dauda stated, “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.

“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.

Stating that the project, after completion, will mitigate flood risks during the peak of the rainy season, Mr Dauda noted that while recent downpours align with earlier meteorological warnings and climate change trends, the Abuja Master Plan inherently recognises certain areas, including the Airport Expressway axis, as flood plains.

He stated that illegal development and widespread infrastructure vandalism are two major human factors aggravating the flash floods, as he exposed a major choke point along the expressway.

He also pointed to a triple-cell box culvert meant to discharge a powerful stream flowing from the Galadima Roundabout.

He blamed a private developer for illegally constricting the waterway further downstream by constructing retaining walls to expand a personal plot.

Mr Dauda also decried the theft of metal gully inlet covers by vandals, which allows large debris to flow directly into underground drains instead of being sieved at the surface.

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

He, however, assured residents that while resilient infrastructure was originally built to handle high volumes of water, human activities have severely compromised its efficiency.

Mr Dauda also stated that workers were already desilting trapezoidal drains, U-channels, and culvert outlets along the Airport Expressway, with plans to reconstruct damaged sections where necessary.

He therefore urged residents to stop dumping refuse into waterways, warning that government infrastructure can only protect the city if public cooperation is guaranteed.