
World Bank approves $250 million to improve drinking water and sanitation in Mali
In order to help Mali improve access to solid waste management, water, and sanitation services, as well as increase resilience to flooding in vulnerable areas of the district of Bamako and selected neighbouring communes, the World Bank has approved a credit from the International Development Association (IDA)* in the amount of US$250 million.
By renovating and enlarging the infrastructure required to reinstate the primary waste management functions, namely the collection, transfer, and treatment of solid waste, the Bamako Urban Resilience Project (PRUBA) would enhance solid waste management.
To strengthen the sector’s institutional framework and offer sustainable faecal sludge management services, investments in sanitation and various support measures are given priority.
Many unserved areas in Bamako and the surrounding communes will be able to get water thanks to improved water storage and distribution networks, as well as more household connections and standpipes where necessary.
Additional investments in flood-resistant infrastructure will increase its ability to withstand flooding and improve living conditions in a few susceptible metropolitan areas.
The World Bank’s country director for Mali, Clara De Sousa, stated that “project activities will target the poor and vulnerable, particularly women and young people, as well as internally displaced persons, many of whom have taken safety in the capital city.
In Bamako, there are hardly any sewer networks, and 98 percent of people still use on-site sanitation facilities. Due in part to difficulties procuring locations, the capital lacks regulated sewage sludge treatment facilities.
The Noumoubougou landfill will be repaired as part of the anticipated investments, giving the Greater Bamako area treatment capacity for 20 years.
” She continued, saying that the World Bank’s role in this area is to “support the strengthening of resilience to shocks and to climate-related crises, by implementing actions to enhance flood protection and actions in vulnerable neighbourhoods, and by creating economic opportunities for vulnerable members of the communities.”
A further two million metric tonnes of capacity will be added across the site’s remaining 40 hectares through the modernisation of the existing facility.
To overcome the current lack of any form of adequate sanitation system in Bamako, two faecal sludge treatment facilities will be constructed.
The two facilities, which would service about 700,000 people, will have a combined daily capacity of 600 cubic meters, or 42 metric tonnes of dry matter.
At a few public schools, about 800 toilet blocks will be constructed, and 20,000 household latrines will be built nearby for the benefit of the poorest households.
Source: H2O innovation