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Sanitation: Operation “Pre-Rain Season” focusing on dredging and maintaining drainage structures has officially been launched
Sanitation: Operation “Pre-Rain Season” focusing on dredging and maintaining drainage structures has officially been launched
Abidjan, March 25, 2025 – The “Pre-Rain Season” operation, conducted annually by the National Sanitation and Drainage Office (ONAD) to mitigate the harmful effects of rainfall, was officially launched by Gildas Simy, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Minister of Water Resources, Sanitation, and Public Health.
The launch took place on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at the catchment area of the Municipal Primary School canal in the Mossikro district of Attécoubé (Abidjan).
“In the second quarter of the year, we observe the start of the heavy rains in Côte d’Ivoire. And before the end of the first quarter, the Ministry of Sanitation, through ONAD, undertakes a pre-season operation to dredge rainwater drainage structures in order to mitigate the harmful effects of flooding.” “This special operation will essentially consist of dredging primary rainwater drainage structures, maintaining all these structures, and, above all, increasing awareness among the populations who damage these structures,” explained Gildas Simy.
He emphasized that during this operation, which will take place in all the municipalities of the Abidjan Autonomous District, the Monitoring Unit will be activated in conjunction with the other ministries involved to prevent incidents and intervene if necessary.
According to the Deputy Director General of ONAD, Aboubakar Bamba, the Attécoubé canal, where the operation was launched, is 1.2 km long. It drains the waters of a 116-hectare catchment area and underwent improvement work by ONAD between 2022 and 2024 at a cost of approximately 300 million CFA francs. As part of this pre-season operation, Aboubakar Bamba provided an update: “On average, one permanent dredging operation is carried out monthly on the buffer basins and flood control dams. Approximately 300,000 m³ of occasional dredging is performed annually on flood control dams, and around 200,000 m³ of permanent dredging and maintenance is carried out on canals and culverts. We also note 94,000 m³ of dredging and maintenance per year for approximately 600 critical points in the municipalities. A public awareness campaign is being conducted through print, broadcast, and online media.”
He concluded that the dredging and maintenance of the 138 critical points identified for the first quarter of 2025 has been 66% completed to date.
