The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Samuel Ofosu- Ampofo has called on the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and the contractors working on the Accra Sanitary Sewer and Storm Water Alleviation Project, to quickly adopt measures to avert any flooding in the capital as the rains set in. Mr. Ofosu Ampofo advised both AMA and the contractors to work to meet the timeline set in the contract and also ensure that local contractors are involved in the project cycle. The Accra Sanitary Sewer and Storm Water Alleviation Project is to dredge the Korle Lagoon, construct a sedimentation basin upstream, an under street drainage system for Mataheko; Mampon; South Kaneshie drains; and also Odawna drains all within the AMA jurisdiction. The Phase I of the project expected to start in July this year. This will involve approximately 70,000M3 of earth channel cleaning and excavation of the Odaw channel and KLERP Area with 80,000M3 concrete channel cleaning and silt removal from the Odaw drains from Ring Road to Abbosey Okai road. It also involves KLERP Interceptor Structure Evaluation, Bathymetric Survey of the Korle Lagoon and a community outreach programme in affected communities to sensitize the people on the need for co-operation and to get them to be law abiding. However, designs on the Phase II of the project are to be submitted to the government in the coming weeks. The US Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank is the lead financier of the project providing an estimated amount of US$ 475 million which is 85 percent of the net contract sum of US$ 595 million with the Standard Chartered Bank and the TBD also providing the remaining contract amount in loan terms. The dredging of the Korle Lagoon will allow free flow of water through the channel to join the sea and making the water free from waste. Meanwhile, the Mayor of AMA, Alfred Okoh Vanderpuye noted that a taskforce will be formed to check those who intend to defeat the purpose of the project.