Drainage: An uncountable noun not to be pluralised

 In a country that is as infrastructurally challenged as Nigeria, certain words are bound to be recurrent. These include light, darkness, hospital, roads and schools. As a result, some substandard usages are associated with them. This is the reason you usually have ‘They have taken light’ instead of ‘There is an outage’ or ‘Off the gen’ instead of ‘Put off the gen’ etc. What about ‘portable water’ instead of potable water’?

It is in this context that I situate the erroneous ways ‘drainage’ is also often handled. Many roads are crying for drainage and governments do try to work on such. But the word is an uncountable noun, meaning that it should normally not be pluralised. So, what all of the governments are building is drainage, not ‘drainages’. The term is thus in the class of infrastructure itself, furniture, information and sewage. They are all uncountable nouns not meant to be pluralised especially when it refers to ‘the process or system by which water or waste liquid flows away’. Some tend to pluralise the term particularly when they seem to be referring the drainage structure, but it is safer to cultivate the more agreeable standard.

A lot of the drainage built by the previous administration has collapsed. (Correct)

The governor said he had constructed 24 drainages across the state.

The governor said he had constructed 24 drainage channels/systems across the state. (Correct)

Fashola said all the drainages on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were constructed by professionals.

Fashola said all the drainage on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was built by professionals. (Correct)

How to show plurality with ‘drainage’

The way we say ‘a piece of information’ or ‘pieces of advice’, ‘news items’ to indicate plurality with information, advice and news, there are expressions that can be used with ‘drainage’ to indicate numbers. These include channels, panels, ditches, systems, canals and dams. In this instance, the word becomes an adjective qualifying the terms employed to sort of pluralise it:

Many of the drainage channels have collapsed.

If the drainage panels are not well constructed, there is threat of early collapse.

I am sure the drainage dam cannot collapse.

Because drainage is an uncountable noun, it rejects the indefinite article ‘a’:

There is the need for a drainage on the road. (Wrong)

There is the need for drainage on the road. (Correct)

A drainage and a bridge are what the road requires. (Wrong)

Drainage and a bridge are what the road requires. (Correct)

Sewage

‘Sewage’ has a similar status as ‘drainage’ in the sense that it is also uncountable. You should thus treat it the way you should the latter:

If a sewage is what you have in mind, you had better forget about it. (Wrong)

If sewage is what you have in mind, you had better forget about it. (Correct)

Five sewages are required in the area. (Wrong)

Five sewage channels are required in the area. (Correct)

Consider the following too

Sewages tanks are very expensive now. (Wrong)

Government is no more taking care of the sewages in the city. (Wrong)

What are the correct counterparts of the clauses?

Drainage: An uncountable noun not to be pluralised (punchng.com)