.Enjoins residents to stop dumping waste on sewer holes
.FCDA to commence massive demolition of structures on waterways to prevent flood
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) , Mr. Olusade Adesola has called on enforcement agencies to join hands with the administration to bring to book all perpetrators frustrating the efforts of beautifying and ridding the capital city of flood.
In particular, Adesola enjoined residents to stop dumping waste on the sewer hole in order to maintain free flow of water and prevent flooding.
According to him, failure to do so will amount to using the sacred resources meant for other infrastructures to either replace or maintain them.
Adesola made this call when he went on an assessment tour with top management officials of FCTA and FCDA to flood prone areas in Lokogoma , Trademore and areas in the capital city with pockets of flash flood due to suboptimal performance of drainages over the weekend.
He said, sewerholes are not dumpsite but designed to allow for free flow of water through the channel provided underground. When it rains , there is free flow of water after five minutes but when they are blocked, the water accumulates, the consequences are grievous, they damage the road, soak it and create problems for the road users.
The Permanent Secretary hinted that, “we did a review of what it cost in a distance of one kilometer, we can have more than , 20, 30 flood water covers sewer holes and manholes cover may be one or two. Each sewer hole costs about 500 thousand, if you multiply 500 thousand by 29 per kilometers by road of 80 kilometers, 100 kilometers or 200 kilometers you will know what this translates to. And this is in the face of very competing needs for the merger resources that we have. This underscores the need for everyone to support the effort of the government to protect our infrastructures.
According to him:”Efforts have been made to address these challenges , today, what we have done as an effort to rid the city of flooding was to go round and visit some of the locations where we have had some flooding during this raining season and to also address them.
“We came to this Oxes road to see how to sustain the initiatives that were undertaken to protect the manhole and how efficient they are.
” The manhole covers that were placed here last year have been removed , they were not removed by ghosts, they were removed by people and this is the Federal Capital City where we have all the enforcement agencies. We want to beckon on the enforcement agencies and residents to support FCTA in protecting lives and properties.
” A lot of resources are committed to the provision of road infrastructures and replacement of the sewer holes and manholes. On this particular road, we have materials we thought could be of little or no second hand value installed here, but shockingly today, all has been removed and nobody has been arrested.
” We want to appeal to every resident, when you see something report something, make use of the 199 where you can make an emergency report of something unusual happening. In that way, all will be contributing to making FCT flood free. ”
However, Following the ravaging flood witnessed in major parts of the FCT in recent weeks, the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA, is set to embark on the massive demolition of structures on waterways within the nation’s capital city, Abuja to avoid incident of Flooding.
the demolition of buildings is said to commence any time from now.
Most affected by the flooding are estates located around Lokogoma Lugbe and Kubwa. In Trademore Estate, over 116 buildings were submerged by flood while two people lost their lives.
Explaining a clarification on the development, the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA, Engr Shehu Ahmed, said the FCT Administration would demolish all structures on waterways across the nation’s capital.
Ahmed said some structures were preventing water from flowing freely through its natural course which was responsible for flooding recorded in some parts of the city.
” People are clamoring that we act quickly and take tough decisions to save lives. And this is what we must do. We cannot act as though we don’t see this man-made problem caused by those who violate the Abuja Master Plan.”
” Buildings in Trademore Estate had been severally marked for demolition. Warnings have been given year after year but the occupants of the estate keep risking their lives and those of others.
” By declaring Trademore a disaster zone, we have told the residents there to evacuate. The area is in a low-line zone which is not safe. Flooding can come at any time. They know this and have been experiencing it over the years”.
The Executive Secretary, who is the Chairman of the Special Ministerial Task Team on Flood Mitigation, revealed that a Police station in Trademore would be demolished and other buildings.
” We have The Police station in Trade more which would be demolished. It will go alongside other buildings. We have engaged the FCT Police command and have provided a suitable place for them to operate from and fight crime.”
The Executive Secretary pointed out that Trademore Estate did not have FCDA Approved building plan and the continuous flooded areas can best be left as Green areas and not residential.
He explained that the estate was just one of the areas in focus as other areas where structures were built on floodplains would experience the removal of illegal structures.
