•Abuja floods
A heavy downpour in Abuja on Saturday flooded several parts of the Federal Capital Territory, disrupting vehicular movement, trapping motorists and forcing some businesses to temporarily shut as water overwhelmed roads and drainage channels.
Among the worst-affected areas were Wuse 1 and Wuse 2 in the city centre, as well as parts of Durumi, Gaduwa and Gudu districts, reports Daily Trust.
Motorists were stranded on flooded roads, while residential and business properties were also affected.
A resident of Kampala Street, off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, Abubakar Musa, told our correspondent that many vehicles stranded on the roads remained there for hours after the rainfall, with some developing mechanical faults.
“They had to engage the services of mechanics due to the mechanical faults developed by their vehicles,” Musa said.
He added that a bridge around the Diamond Bank area of Wuse 2 was almost submerged, forcing motorists to navigate one lane of the road in an attempt to avoid the worst-flooded sections.
At the Delight Event Centre in Gudu, several vehicles parked within the premises were reportedly submerged by floodwater.
In some locations, residents and passers-by were seen helping motorists push their vehicles away from the floodwater, while others abandoned their vehicles after the water rose to dangerous levels.
Videos circulating online showed motorists moving slowly through deep floodwater, while people gathered around stranded vehicles to assist those affected.
The flooding also caused significant difficulty for motorists attempting to enter or leave the affected areas.
Residents react
Reacting to the development, Emma Ik Umeh said parts of Wuse 2 were flooded following the heavy rainfall, adding that some expensive vehicles were submerged.
Umeh also expressed concern about the conversion of green areas in Abuja for other developments, saying changes in land use could be contributing to the city’s flooding challenges.
He described the situation as worrying and called on the FCT Administration to urgently address locations vulnerable to flooding.
Obiasogu David also expressed concern over the severity of the flooding, sharing an image of an event centre in Gudu which he said was completely inundated by floodwater.
Abdullahi Musa, another resident, said the flooding caused serious disruption to movement, with motorists forced to wait for the water to recede or look for alternative routes.
Chinedu Okafor, a motorist, expressed concern over the possible damage to vehicles caught in the flood.
“Motorists are often left with few options when heavy rainfall suddenly turns major roads into waterways,” he said.
A resident of Gaduwa, Aisha Suleiman, said the incident highlighted the need for authorities to pay greater attention to drainage channels and areas where rainwater naturally flows.
She warned that residents could continue to face similar situations unless adequate preventive measures were put in place.
For Daniel Oche, a business owner, the consequences of flooding extend beyond traffic disruption.
He said businesses in flood-prone areas could lose customers, goods and valuable working hours whenever heavy rainfall rendered roads and surrounding properties inaccessible.
Jamil, another resident, said the impact could be more severe when flooding occurs during working hours, when offices, schools, shops and other businesses are fully operational.
The latest incident has renewed concerns among residents about Abuja’s drainage infrastructure and the city’s preparedness for heavy rainfall.
Residents also raised concerns over blocked drainage channels, poor water flow and construction around areas that once served as natural drainage routes.
Residents called on the FCT Administration and other relevant authorities to identify areas particularly vulnerable to flooding and take preventive measures ahead of further heavy rainfall.
They urged authorities to regularly clear drainage channels, expand them where necessary and protect natural waterways and flood paths from indiscriminate construction.
They also called for stronger enforcement of planning regulations to prevent developments that could obstruct the natural flow of stormwater.
Engineer blames illegal structures, others
Speaking with our correspondent, a former Director of Works and Maintenance Services at the Federal University of Lafia, Engr. Riyadh Ojulari, blamed the flooding largely on blocked drainage channels, illegal structures built along waterways and indiscriminate waste disposal.
“The major cause of this flooding is clogged drainage. Most of the drainages are blocked,” he said.
According to him, many of the affected roads were not suffering from poor engineering design but from blocked drainage systems preventing the free flow of water.
He also blamed illegal developments on drainage paths and flood plains for worsening the situation in some parts of the capital city.
Ojulari identified areas such as Jabi, Utako, Berger and Aminu Kano Crescent as vulnerable because of their low-lying topography, saying large volumes of water naturally flow towards such areas during rainfall.
He warned that the flooding could become more dangerous as rainfall intensifies in the coming months if urgent action is not taken.
‘We’re mitigating impact of flooding’
The Director of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Emergency Management Department, Abdulrahman Mohammed said it has intensified measures to mitigate the impact of flooding in Abuja following flash floods recorded in parts of the territory after rainfall over the weekend.
Mohamed said the agency had embarked on mitigation and early-warning measures, including sensitising residents living around flood-prone areas on the expected rainfall and steps to take during emergencies.
On concerns over blocked drainage channels, which often worsen flooding during heavy rainfall, the FEMA General Manager said the FCT Administration was already undertaking drainage works across several parts of the territory.
He said his assessment of some locations showed that drainage construction and rehabilitation were ongoing in various communities.
He, however, urged the FCT Administration to sustain the projects to ensure that water flows freely and reduce the risk of flooding.
