The knowledge of duration of local flood regime on the major local streams or drainage channels is a key environmental attribute to flood adaptation or mitigation study. At the onset of each rainy season, NIMET will forecast the onset of the weather in order to guide farmers on when to begin planting, and urban managers on how to mitigate adverse effects oftorrential rainfalls. This should always prepare us to take adequate proactive measures, to plan against the impending disaster in all the areas likely to be affected according to the information provided.
The Abuja Garden City Concept was very particular in the maintenance of ecological balance and the respect for the natural landforms with the view to the prevention and mitigation of possible floods occurrence. The plan earmarked 33 percent of the City’s land use to be reserved for green developments only. These include green stretches along stream valleys, river beds, flood plains, hilly patches and some incidental open spaces.
The entire runoff and drainage pattern would beprone to the menace of flashy and localized floods of short duration. Accordingly, wherever valley occurs such as in the Central Business District they are recommended to be left in their original natural state.Additionally, reasonable buffers between the streams and built up areas are maintained.
According to standard practice, there are many approaches to reducing flood hazards in basins under development. Areas identified as flood-prone have been used for parks and playgrounds that can tolerate occasional flooding. There is no difference with what is adopted in the planning of Abuja.
Other measures include the elevation of buildings and bridges and their protections with floodwalls and levees, which are designed to withstand temporary inundation. Others are the expansions of drainage systems to increase their capacity for detaining and conveying high stream flows. Unfortunately the prevailing situation in the Central Area District is the narrowing of the stream channels.
Other measures include using rooftops and parking lots to store water, techniques that promote infiltration and storage of water in the soil column, such as infiltration trenches, permeable pavements, soil amendments, and reducing impermeable surfaces have also been incorporated into new and existing residential and commercial developments to reduce runoff from these areas.
Weather phenomenon is largely unpredictable andcan also be highly destructive at a time it is least expected. Natural disasters are things that can never be prevented, but it is possible for it to be substantially mitigated, with a very careful environmental planning and development. This environmental planning is what has now been jettisoned by the present FCT Administration.
The type of developments going on now in the Central Area District which were products of the violations of land uses from green to commercial or residential would really be source of concern when the violations are fully implemented. A very narrow channel has now been introduced at the center of the major stream channel across the District. We could see some round culverts provided as the stream channels, purportedly as substitute for the conveyance of accumulated floods.
The fact is no one can prevent the natural flow of water, it must have its way. Many bridges and culverts wrongly conceived are washed-off in no time. The washed off culvert becomes another weapon of destruction along the way of the flood. According to Gilbert White, “Floods are acts of God, but flood losses are largely acts of man.”
Some of our readers may consider the incident we cited in the first part of this topic, two weeks ago as weird. We are referring to the 143 lives lost due to overnight flooding. It may seem as if it can only happen in the less developed worlds. On the contrary, it really occurred in the country considered as the most technologically advanced, the American District of Columbia in July 1976.
Subsequently, when the Local Administration became wiser and imbibed efficient land use planning, by removing all the developments along the major river bank, the subsequent flood in September 2013, which was much bigger than the previous one that claimed lives did not consume a single person.
Our greedy land administrators in Abuja are deliberately provoking nature. The event of massive loss of lives as a result of deliberate misdeeds, is such that could lead to the resignations or suicides in other climes. We pray against witnessing such calamities within our domain. We therefore call on the masterminds of land use violations to allow theirconscience have the better side of their actions by reversing the alterations.
The whole of Phase I to IV of the original City development is 250 square kilometers, while to total size of the FCT is as large as 8,000 square kilometers.The FCT Administration have a surplus of 7,750 to initiate new planning areas. Even from the Asorock as a reference point of drawing the City plan, along the ONEX to Zuba, to Gwagwalada along the A-2 Expressway and back to the Asorock along the OSEX, as much as 3,000 square kilometer can be obtained. There is no basis why developments can still be concentrated in the Phase I of the City, despite all these looming challenges.
The torrential rainfall of Wednesday 10th June was only a signal and warning sign, we pray that the developers and the concerned Authority will take corrections by reverting to the plans. A stitch in time saves nine.
Concluded.
