By Stanley Onyekwere
Go effectively tackle the reoccurring flooding in Abuja, the nation’s capital city, the Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has called for stronger collaboration with the Federal Capital Development Authority(FCDA) and other relevant stakeholders.
Director General of FEMA, Alhaji Abbas Idriss made this call when he led a Management Team of the Agency on a courtesy call to FCDA, the major technical partners in the development and management of the FCT.
Idriss noted that FEMA, as a coordinating agency on both human and material resources on disaster management and emergencies has some limitations , noting that such collaboration would greatly reduce the devastating impact of floods in the FCT.
The FEMA boss also emphasized the need for Estates and Communities in the FCT to establish response plans and own up to their environment”.
Expressing concern over incidents of flooding in some parts of the city, before the onset of rains, expected to fully start on the 14th of May, Idriss stressed the need for a proactive effort to save lives and property.
“Previous assessment shows infractions,diversion of water, building on water ways, and many other distortions to the Abuja Master plan. If we are going to build, let us build based on the building codes.
“FCDA as the custodians of the development of Abuja should bring all Stakeholders together to do the needful in addressing these distortions.
“We can help them (estates and communities) develop a response plan. Unless the community buys into this, we cannot do much.They will be able to know the dos and don’ts. And will not allow anybody to come and build and block their waterways”, a statement from the Agency’s Public Relations Unit, Nkechi Isa quoted the DG.
According to the statement, while esponding, the FCDA Executive Secretary, Engr Shehu Hadi Ahmad, assured on his commitment to work with FEMA to remove all illegal developments along flood plains.
Ahmad who noted that unscrupulous developers were erecting structures in undesignated areas, thereby distorting the master plan, reiterated that such buildings would be demolished.
He further gave his commitment to ensuring a habitable and beautiful FCT that’s free from floods, and directed a Joint Stakeholders Conference immediately to address all the perceived violations before the onset of the rainfall.
