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Their fields were suitable for growing rice until a few decades ago, when new construction appeared on the other side of the river, pushing water into his fields.
Human activities such as residential extensions across the river have severely restricted the waterway, creating clutter along the river and redirecting water flow, increasing the risk of flooding. In some locations across the river, physical structures have extended beyond the river’s boundaries, exposing nearby homes to the risk of river flooding.
“I used to make a living from these rice fields, but now they are flooded,” said Mr. Mendy, waving his arms to draw a semicircle, depicting a vast field that should have been their rice fields but is now uncultivated. “All my rice fields are destroyed because the water on the other side of the stream is blocked.”
These and other challenges faced by Mr. Mendi and hundreds of thousands of residents in 11 communities along the Kotou River are now the target of a World Bank intervention through the West Africa Coastal Area Management Program (WACA). The project is currently being implemented in nine countries – The Gambia, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal and Togo.
In Gambia, the project will start in 2023 and will last for five years. The project aims to support the rehabilitation and regeneration of the 11.2-kilometre-long Kotu River. According to the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources (MECCNAR), the project is also expected to strengthen institutions and policies to enhance quality services and build resilience among affected communities along the river.
“The project has huge potential – it is expected to protect more than 200,000 people living along the Kotu River from flooding and pollution. The project will completely restore and reshape the Kotu River, building bridges across the river to facilitate navigation, and constructing drainage systems to reduce flooding and support livelihood development. This will be achieved through a combination of nature-based solutions and innovations to protect the ecological integrity of the Kotu River,” said Muhammed Lamin Sanyang, the Ministry’s WACA Gambia Project Coordinator.
The Gambia project in the Ghana region of West Africa, in collaboration with implementing partners, carried out short-term works on the Kotu River and its adjacent drainage system to reduce the risk of flooding and pollution to communities during the rainy season.
Project officials said that over a kilometre of drains around the Bakot fish market have been cleaned in the past two months in preparation for the monsoon.
“Initially, I was worried that our market, especially the canteen at the back, might be flooded,” said Ms. Sainabou Phall, manager of the Bakoteh Fish Market. “However, thanks to the recent cleaning of the drains, these areas have not been flooded. This has greatly improved accessibility, allowing people to shop easily and ensuring that delivery trucks can reach the market smoothly.”
The interventions were taken in consultation with community leaders along the Kotu River, including district councillors and project implementation partners – Kanifing Municipal Council, Brikama District Council, National Environment Agency, National Disaster Management Authority and National Roads Authority.
Some of these measures include clearing garbage from the entire river, removing illegal dumps, vegetation and weeds, and desalinating several areas of the river to enhance water flow. Interventions also include cleaning major drains connected to the river (total length of more than 3 km) to facilitate rainwater flow and reduce flood risks, and procuring flood pumps.
Project officials have confirmed that the WACA project will deliver 34 flood pumps to high-risk communities in June this year to the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) and local authorities in Kanifing and Brikama.
According to the project’s policy brief, the main target area for intervention in The Gambia is 1,881 hectares of land stretching 11.2 kilometres from the Nema Kunku settlement in the West Coast region to Kotu on the Atlantic Ocean. By 2020, an estimated 201,044 people living along the river are expected to benefit from the intervention.
“The creek is one of the major flood flashpoints in the Greater Banjul area and its restoration will have the potential to mitigate and prevent flooding in nearby communities and other areas,” the briefing said.
If implemented effectively, the river’s restoration will be fully realized as the project will propose a hybrid nature-based solution to increase resilience to flood risks, enhance the attractiveness and accessibility of the Kotu River, thereby improving liveability and the urban environment and protecting the public health of the community.
Once this is achieved, farming families like Peter Mendi will restore their livelihoods through sustainable development in communities along the Kotu River, including urban farming initiatives and commercially sustainable, women-owned, small-scale waste recycling initiatives.
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