BF-Urb Env (FY95)

closed

The Urban Environment Project will lay the groundwork for decentralizing management, operation and control of the overall urban environment to the local governments in Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso, supporting both decentralization and environment policies. Objectives are to: improve urban living conditions in executing priority urban works on primary infrastructure (road, drainage, solid waste and sanitation); develop urban services directly benefiting the low income groups; promote the active participation of the urban population in urban service development, either directly, or through beneficiary associations or elected representatives; and promote sustainability of urban environment services by supporting the government's decentralization program and setting up new laws, regulations and practices that would result in better land management, investment programming and local resource mobilization. The project comprises two components: 1) restoration of the primary infrastructure networks including rehabilitation of priority primary drainage networks, rehabilitation and improvement of the primary urban roads network, development of piped sewerage and on-site sanitation. Closing or upgrading of existing land fills and construction of new landfills, and improvement of current toxic and industrial solid waste management systems; and 2) a capacity building component which includes strengthening of the central government's competence for urban management, improvement of the current system for local financial resource mobilization, including the preparation of an adequate land and real property tax system and implementation plan, and improvement of cost recovery; improvement of the institutional, legal and regulatory framework for urban management at the national and local levels including institutional, legal and regulatory arrangements, urban environment assessment, management controls, financial, operational and managerial capacity of various institutions, technical assistance, training, and monitoring program; enhancement of sound community participation practices throughout the implementation of demonstration projects in Ouagadougou and BoboDioulasso, aimed at fine tuning a methodology that would apply thoughout both cities; and support to the Caisses Populaires d'Epargne for increaisng their loans for housing.