In Mali, the World Bank is lending $250 million for the implementation of the Bamako Urban Resilience Project (PRUBA). This financing, provided through its subsidiary the International Development Association (IDA), aims to improve access to water and sanitation in the Malian capital and neighbouring localities.
“The interventions of this project target vulnerable people, particularly women and young people, as well as internally displaced people who have often sought refuge in the capital. Our aim is to strengthen climate resilience by improving flood protection and creating economic opportunities for the targeted communities,” explains Clara De Sousa, the World Bank’s Country Director for Mali.
In concrete terms, the works that will benefit 700,000 people include the rehabilitation and extension of waste management infrastructure, the strengthening of water storage, and the installation of standpipes for water supply in areas not served by the national drinking water distribution network.
“In Bamako, sewage systems are almost non-existent and there are no controlled sludge treatment facilities, partly due to difficulties in securing land tenure,” says the World Bank. In terms of sanitation, PRUBA aims to redevelop the Noumoubougou landfill into a modern technical landfill, as well as the construction of two faecal sludge treatment plants with a combined capacity of 600 m3 per day.
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The World Bank funding will also allow the construction of 800 latrines in schools and 20,000 latrines in households. A fortnight ago, the Washington-based financial institution in the United States of America granted a $30 million loan to the Malian authorities for the implementation of the Project for the Development of Agricultural Productivity and Diversification in the Semi-Arid Zones of Mali (PDAZAM). The initiative aims to improve agricultural yields and strengthen the resilience of approximately 193,000 drought-affected households.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi