Flooding: Abuja residents embark on clearing of drains

Residents of Abuja have started clearing drains in preparation for the impending rains to prevent floods. While some cleared the debris obstructing the free flow of water in drains during the dry season as volunteers, others employed labourers.

Pipeline Road, Phase 4, and NEPA Road are a few of the cleaned drains that are situated along Kubwa’s well-known Gado Nasco Road. In addition to Kubwa, there are drains in Bwari (Ushafa, Peye, Jigo), Garki, and Wuse.

The Abuja Environmental Board’s waste management department employees were also sent out to make sure the drains were thoroughly cleaned and their slabs were updated.

The project supervisor, Ahmed Ishaya, said residents decided to clear the drains without always waiting for the government to solve problems they could easily handle. He said: “Residents cannot always rely on the government for domestic assistance like this. These drainages are not littered by the government, but by residents living around them. We as a people can be lackadaisical at times with issues bordering on the environment, especially in the disposal of waste.

“So, landlords were asked to get their tenants to contribute a token and afterwards we hired labourers to clean our drains. This part of Kubwa is a waterlogged area, if we don’t get to work now, we will bite our fingers tomorrow.”

A resident, Judith Blessing, who was involved in a car crash, last week, along Ushafa Road in Bwari, Abuja, after a heavy rain, said: “I boarded a vehicle from Bwari and heading to Kubwa, we had an accident because of flooded road.

“If the drains along the road were not filled with filths, the accident would certainly not have occurred.

“Residents should not wait until the rainy season, before cleaning up their drains.”  Also, a trader, Ovie Efe, narrated how the rain caught her unaware and entered her shop because the drains were blocked.

According to her, since the drains are blocked by the nonchalant attitudes of residents, they should come together and clear to avoid witnessing flood havoc  that wrecked the area last year.”

Another resident and teacher, Kalu Ojimba, said people should not wait for rain before clearing their drains. One of the labourers clearing the drains, Ali Nuhu, expressed the excitement of being one of those hired to do the work.

According to him, they were always hired to clear the drains around Wuse, Garki, and Kubwa at the beginning of the rainy season or during the rainy season.”

Speaking on the importance of clearing the drains, a resident and environmentalist, Dr Chidinma Theresa Odaghara, said apart from preventing floods, it ensures the free flow of water during and after rains, thereby reducing health risks.

Contacted, the Deputy Director of Abuja Waste Management Authority (AWMA),  Omoruyi Omogiade, said the agency has embarked on a series of public enlightenment against the disposal of waste on drains.

He expressed happiness that residents are now coming out to clear their drains in compliance with the Agency’s directive.  Omogiade stressed that officials of the Agency have also embarked on clearing drains and dirt in Abuja.

To ensure effective delivery, he said the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been divided into districts, namely: Lifecamp, Gwarimpa, Wuse, Wuse1, Wuse 2, Maitama, Asokoro, Durumi, Lokogoma, and others.

He urged residents to embrace cleanliness in all aspects of their daily lives and ensure that grasses around them are well trimmed, and drains freed from waste to avoid flooding.