The WACA Project is set to transform the lives of families along the Kotu Stream, a flood-prone area in The Gambia’s Greater Banjul Area. The intervention targets communities that face regular inundation and economic hardship due to constrained waterways and uncontrolled human activity.

Peter Mendy, a local rice farmer, illustrates the challenge. “I used to survive on these rice fields, but they are now inundated,” he said. His fields, once ideally suited for rice cultivation—a trade passed down from his father—are now flooded as new structures on the opposite side of the stream divert water flow.

The Kotu Stream spans 1,881 hectares over 11.2 km and is home to over 201,000 people as of 2020. Its waters, restricted by human-built structures, have significantly raised flood risks, particularly for low-income communities residing along its banks.

The WACA Project aims to mitigate these risks by addressing the root causes of flooding. In doing so, it promises not only to safeguard livelihoods like Mr. Mendy’s but also to establish a sustainable future for the 11 communities along the stream.