Loan for Aboabo drainage project

Kumasi, Aug 2, GNA - The government has secured a six million-dollar World Bank loan facility to undertake the 12-kilometre Aboabo-Sisa drainage project in the Kumasi metropolis. The project, which is one of the components of the Phase Two of the World Bank's funded Urban Environmental and Sanitation Project (UESP) will involve the construction of a storm drainage on the Aboabo stream to prevent the perennial flooding of the stream. A consultancy agreement for the designing of the drainage between the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and Messrs Colan Consult and Associated Consult Limited was signed in Kumasi on Tuesday. The 114,055-dollar consultancy agreement for the designs, will begin on September 15 this year, and expected to be completed in 10 months time for the actual construction work to begin in the middle of 2006.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mrs Patricia Appiagyei, acting Metropolitan Chief Executive said the physical development of the project would depend largely on the designs and appealed to the consultants to undertake the project with diligence and accuracy. She said since 2001 the assembly had undertaken about 227 projects in the areas of education, water and sanitation, markets and health. Mrs Appiagyei, however, said the bad attitudes such as dumping of waste materials into drains and building on waterways by some residents had contributed to the perennial flooding in the metropolis. She appealed to the media to mount a vigorous campaign to change the attitude of residents towards sanitation. Mr Asare Yeboah and Mr. Collins Annor, who signed for their companies, pledged to complete the project on schedule.