{"id":68425,"date":"2025-06-18T13:37:45","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T13:37:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/?p=68425"},"modified":"2025-06-18T13:37:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T13:37:45","slug":"abuja-mobilises-against-imminent-flood-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/2025\/06\/18\/abuja-mobilises-against-imminent-flood-threat\/","title":{"rendered":"Abuja Mobilises Against Imminent Flood Threat"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Omoniyi David<\/strong><\/p>\n

The rainy season has returned to Nigeria\u2019s Federal Capital Territory, and with it, a growing sense of anxiety. In Abuja, where thunderstorms no longer signal just a change in weather but a looming disaster, many residents are bracing for another season of flooding. It is a crisis that has become a seasonal ordeal for vulnerable communities. Weather forecasts have already warned of heavier than usual rainfall in the coming weeks. For flood-prone areas such as Trademore Estate in Lugbe, Lokogoma, Galadimawa, Karu, Gwagwalada, Bwari and Kwali, the first drop of rain is met not with relief but with fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t sleep once the rains begin,\u201d says Gloria Ashedu, a longtime resident of Trademore Estate. \u201cLast year, water poured into our home so quickly we had to climb on the bed and wait. Everything was destroyed. We were lucky to make it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her words are calm but the trauma is unmistakable. The 2023 floods were particularly devastating, submerging roads, destroying homes and trapping residents in rising water. In parts of Lugbe and Lokogoma, entire streets disappeared under floodwater. Vehicles were swept away. Schools and businesses closed. Daily routines were disrupted as survival took precedence.<\/p>\n

Trademore Estate, despite its organised layout and middle-class population, has become a symbol of Abuja\u2019s flooding problems. Located along a natural floodplain, the estate has repeatedly suffered major losses during rainy seasons. Residents have tried to protect themselves by raising their homes, digging drainage channels, installing pumps and building culverts. Yet the floods continue to return, overwhelming these private efforts and exposing the limits of community-based solutions.<\/p>\n

Urban planners and environmental experts have consistently expressed concern over Abuja\u2019s rapid and unregulated expansion. Estates and markets have been developed in low-lying areas with little regard for environmental impact or flood risk. Drainage infrastructure is often inadequate or completely missing. Even when government agencies issue flood warnings, enforcement is inconsistent and long-term solutions remain elusive. As the rains begin to fall again, a familiar question resurfaces. How many more flood seasons will it take before policy decisions reflect the reality on the ground?<\/p>\n

In Galadimawa and Gwagwalada, similar fears echo through communities. Each rainy season brings submerged shops, shut-down schools and displaced families. In some areas, children wade through knee-deep water to catch a school bus. For the elderly, stepping outside during a heavy storm can be dangerous. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about losing property,\u201d says Mallam Tijani Aliyu, a long-time resident of Lokogoma. \u201cIt\u2019s about the fear that grips you every time the sky darkens. You don\u2019t know what\u2019s coming. You just pray your house isn\u2019t next.\u201d<\/p>\n

That fear is worsened by the city\u2019s poor drainage infrastructure. In many districts, gutters are clogged and open drains overflow during storms. Water mixed with refuse floods homes and roads. Residents blame reckless waste disposal, poor maintenance and unchecked urban development.<\/p>\n

Even in newer upscale estates, disappointment is widespread. \u201cYou pay a premium for security and planning,\u201d says Temi Ogunleye, a homeowner near Lokogoma. \u201cBut once the rains come, you realise flood control was never part of the design. Sometimes it feels like we\u2019re building on water.\u201d<\/p>\n

The economic impact of flooding is severe. Traders lose goods, artisans cannot work and entire roads become impassable. In business districts like Garki, Jabi and Nyanya, a single heavy downpour can shut down activity for hours. The pattern repeats each year with minimal official intervention. Emergency response is often late or absent, leaving residents to rebuild with little or no help.<\/p>\n

While government agencies continue to make promises, residents say results are scarce. Drainage projects are left unfinished, public education is limited and relief materials when they arrive come long after the damage is done. \u201cThe government doesn\u2019t live here,\u201d says Abdulmumin Salihu, a mechanic in Karu. \u201cWe\u2019re the ones knee-deep in water when it floods. They just make announcements on the radio.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experts agree that Abuja\u2019s natural topography, with its valleys and fast-flowing streams, makes it especially vulnerable to flooding. Years of unregulated construction have worsened the problem by obstructing natural water channels. What used to be small streams now become dangerous torrents during storms.<\/p>\n

Without a well-enforced citywide master plan, the situation is likely to worsen. In satellite towns like Kuje and Dei-Dei, residents have turned to self-help. They dig trenches, pile up sandbags and use tyres and wooden planks as makeshift barriers.<\/p>\n

Across these communities, the sense of abandonment is strong. Volunteer task forces and community responders have stepped in but they are poorly equipped and disconnected from official support. In Kurudu, mothers anxiously watch the streams rise each evening, deciding whether to let their children sleep on the floor or lift them onto furniture. In Gwagwa, food vendors keep an eye on the sky, hoping a sudden downpour does not wipe out their day\u2019s earnings.<\/p>\n

As the peak of the rainy season approaches, more storms are expected between July and September. With every rainfall, the gap between government assurances and community realities becomes more visible. For now, Abuja residents continue to prepare as best they can, reinforcing their homes, buying small water pumps and praying for mercy. \u201cIt\u2019s the same every year,\u201d says Tijani Aliyu. \u201cYou prepare. You pray. You rebuild. And then it happens all over again.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Omoniyi David The rainy season has returned to Nigeria\u2019s Federal Capital Territory, and with it, a growing sense of anxiety. In Abuja, where thunderstorms no longer signal just a change in weather but a looming disaster, many residents are bracing for another season of flooding. It is a crisis that has become a seasonal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":68426,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1706],"tags":[178,59],"class_list":["post-68425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","tag-abuja","tag-featured"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68425"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68427,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68425\/revisions\/68427"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}