Togo: a new sanitation and flood control project in Greater Lomé

In Togo, a vast sanitation project has just been launched in response to recurrent flooding in the capital, Lomé. The project involves the construction of a Réseau d'assainissement par intercepteurs pour la non-inondation de nos espaces (RAINE) (Interceptor sewerage network for the non-flooding of our spaces), which was launched on Wednesday April 23, 2025 by the head of government, Victoire Dogbé.

This network will be designed to collect and redirect water to the Zio basin, as part of a drive to modernize urban infrastructures. It will be based on microtunneling technology, a horizontal drilling device that creates underground galleries without disturbing the surface.

" We are faced with an extremely dense urban environment. Microtunneling is the ideal solution for intervening without creating major nuisances," points out Jean-Mathieu Montalègre, Africa Director of BESSAC, one of the companies responsible for carrying out the work.

In all, more than seven kilometers of underground pipes will be installed, with the aim of improving rainwater drainage, particularly in frequently flooded neighborhoods such as Bè-Avignon.flooded areas such as Bè-Adidomé, Tokoin and Attiégou, as well as around the National Assembly and the Togo 2000 shopping mall. In this way, the authorities hope to sustainably contain the risks associated with extreme rainfall, which is becoming more frequent as a result of climate change.

The new network will complement existing measures, which already involve the construction of retention basins, the reinforcement of drainage structures and technical coordination between the various departments concerned. For the Togolese government, the aim is to structure a comprehensive response to the capital's hydrological challenges, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Togo 2025 Roadmap.

For the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Mila Aziablé, " this project is the fruit of a strong political commitment and a long-term vision. RAINE is not just a sanitation network, it's the promise of a more resilient city, where every citizen can live protected from the impacts of climate change ", she declared. She added: " RAINE is also a response to the President's call at COP29 to act now, with tangible results.

Source: www.togofirst.com/