Flood mitigation: Parliament approves US$150 million additional financing under GARID project

Government has received parliamentary approval for an additional $150 million in financing from the World Bank to expand its efforts to mitigate flooding and improve drainage in the Greater Accra region.

The funds will be provided under the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) project, which aims to strengthen infrastructure and services in flood-prone communities near the Odaw River Basin.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Finance dated May 21, the new financing will help "alleviate flooding along the Odaw River Basin by improving drainage, solid waste management, and infrastructure services in high-risk informal settlements within the basin."

Some of the key projects to be supported include repairing vulnerable sections of the Odaw Basin, constructing new storm drains in at-risk neighborhoods like Kaneshie and Nima-Paloma, creating water detention ponds, and establishing an early warning system for floods in Greater Accra.

The money will also fund building a waste transfer station and a new engineered landfill to better manage the region's solid waste.

"Approximately half a million people dwelling in low-income communities around the Odaw basin are expected to benefit directly and indirectly from these projects," said the Ministry of Finance in the statement.