Abuja: FCTA Begins  Demolition Of Houses Blocking Drainages

By Ayodele Oni

Not less than 200 houses are on target as the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Friday commenced demolition of structures which tend to obstruct free flow of water.

The FCTA, which is handling the project, had earlier advised owners of those structures, especially houses to relocate as heavy rains set in.

Bulldozers were rolled  in to demolish structures obstructing water channels in the Dutse Makaranta area of the territory as over 135 of such structures, including residential buildings and entertainment centres were demolished.

It was gathered that the area has been prone to flooding and the 2022 Flood Outlook painted a gloomy scenario for its residents.

Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Mr Attah Ikharo who led the demolition team, explained that government would continue to serve notices on the affected residents and that while many of them had evacuated their belongings, there were few others that refused to leave.

According to him, “We were here on Wednesday and commenced operations. We came back on Friday to remove other structures along the flood plains.

“Like I said earlier, we thank God the rain fell last Sunday afternoon at about 1pm and 2pm when many had left the churches and schools were closed.

“The water got to the window levels but thank God the people had fled. The casualties here would have been extremely massive. The casualty figure would have been very alarming if the rain had fallen at night.

“Those that were staying here before told us that most of these areas used to be football field, but somehow, somebody sold the football field to them to build structures and that is very painful and pathetic.

“We targeted pulling down over 100 buildings and structures, but from what we have seen now, having entered inside the street, there could be over 200 structures that may need to give way.

“From what we did on Wednesday and Friday, we have so far pulled down over 135 structures with many billed to still go down.

“The more we go in, the more we see extremely damp structures around the banana plantation.

“You see houses that are damp up to the roofing level and this is unacceptable. It is not safe and we won’t allow flood to occur before we take measures.”