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THE ACCRA Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) is preparing the grounds for the commencement of the US$660 million dollar much anticipated CONTI Project. The CONTI Project, which is a five-year project to be conducted in three different stages, is expected to tackle the Accra perennial flooding and some sanitation and environmental challenges in the city. Officials of the AMA led by the Chief Executive Officer, Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, have been working along, clearing project sites and ensuring that the CONTI Project takes-off smoothly. On Friday August 15, 2014, during a visit to the site, about 1.4 kilometres of area at Agbogbloshie was cleared with moved away from the drain and about 70 feet buffer created along the drain to give free access to vehicles and trucks that will be used during the exercise. The project which is also supported by Zoomlion, a waste management company, intends to improve Accra�s flood protection and waste water treatment as well as steps forward the city�s position as the Millennium city. Parliament approved the loan facilities with the Export�Import Bank (EXIM) of the USA and providing US$53,299,497.00, while the Standard Chartered Bank has also contributed US$125,000.00. The scope of the work will include desilting, dredging at the Odaw drains and the Korle lagoons as well as construction of public toilets and restore the operation of the existing waste-water treatment plan. Stage one is the construction stage which comprises of approximately 150,000m cube of channel cleaning and excavation of the Odaw channel, Central Business District Drain, and the KLERP Interceptor area. Bathymetric survey of the Korle Lagoon would be conducted to prepare the exact dredging scope and design for stage 1b of the work, waste collection would finally be conducted. The project will re-vitalize and dredge 500,000 meter cube area of the Korle Lagoon. Twenty hectares of sedimentation basins upstream would be constructed along the Odaw Channel. Also, there will be the implementation stage that will include the construction of a 15- kilometer storm sewer and combination sewer works throughout Accra with priority drain upgrades in Mataheko, Mamponse and South Kaneshie drains. About 6,300 meters of drain covers in Mataheko and the central business districts of Accra would be installed. The Jamestown Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) project would be upgraded and re-commissioned after which 50 public toilet facilities would be constructed. The implementers will design and construct a new 450 metric ton per day waste sorting facility, operate and maintain the facility for three years after its commissioning. The implementers would provide waste collection services during its execution and carry out feasibility studies and new landfill design. The Vice President, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, toured the site and commended the Local Government Ministry and the Mayor of Accra for the progress of work within a period of two weeks. He said, it was the recommendation of the Local Government Minister, Julius Debrah and the Mayor of Accra for him to join the cleanup, evacuation and desilting of the Korle Lagoon project to boost the morale of the cleanup team led by the Mayor.