Management of Waterway and Drainage Infrastructure in Port Harcourt Metropolis

Waterway and drainage infrastructure management is a specialized urban management domain that is particularly critical in coastal and riverine cities such as Port Harcourt, where inadequate drainage contributes directly to recurrent flooding and property damage. This study examines the management of waterway and drainage infrastructure in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State, evaluating the institutional arrangements, operational practices, and financing mechanisms governing this critical urban system. A professional management case study approach was used, gathering maintenance records, budget documents, and asset condition survey reports from the Rivers State Ministry of Works and Port Harcourt City Local Government water management units. Fifteen infrastructure managers and drainage engineers were interviewed on management priorities, operational constraints, and institutional coordination challenges. Findings are anticipated to reveal fragmented management responsibility between state and local government bodies, inadequate maintenance budgets relative to drainage asset replacement values, widespread siltation and encroachment on drainage channels, and limited community awareness of the role of waste disposal behavior in drainage system performance. The study examines the role of climate change in increasing design storm return frequencies and its implications for the adequacy of existing drainage infrastructure. Recommendations address establishment of a unified waterway and drainage management authority for Port Harcourt Metropolis, development of a drainage asset management plan, budgetary ring-fencing for drainage maintenance, community education campaigns on drainage stewardship, and updating of design standards to account for projected increases in rainfall intensity. Keywords: Drainage management, Waterway infrastructure, Port Harcourt, Flood risk, Urban infrastructure.