ACCRA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Ghana will receive 150 million U.S. dollars in financing from the World Bank Group this year for flood mitigation and solid waste management, the country's Finance Ministry announced in a statement late Tuesday.
The financing, approved by parliament, will fund the implementation of solid waste management, drainage improvements and other flood mitigation measures under the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, according to the statement.
The statement added that repair works on embankments in sections of the Odaw River Basin, a major water body running from the Akwapim Hills north of the capital through some low-lying areas, will be undertaken. The Odaw River often causes floods during heavy rains due to human activities along the waterway.
The project will also include the construction of storm drains, the creation of water retention ponds, the establishment of a flood early warning system in the Greater Accra Region, the construction of a waste transfer station, and the development of an engineered landfill site, among other interventions.
"The implementation of these projects will alleviate flooding along the Odaw River Basin by improving drainage, solid waste management, and infrastructure services in high-risk informal settlements within the basin," the statement said.
"As a result, approximately half a million people living in low-income communities around the Odaw basin are expected to benefit directly and indirectly from these projects," the statement added. ■
