DAR ES SALAAM, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund (ADF), the concessional financing arm of the African Development Bank Group, has approved a 9.38-million-U.S.-dollar grant to Tanzania to strengthen climate resilience in the Mkondoa catchment.

The catchment is a critical water resource area increasingly affected by floods and drought linked to climate change, the ADF said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Approved on Tuesday, the project, "Enhancing Climate Resilience on Water Resources in Mkondoa Catchment," will be financed through the ADF's Climate Action Window.

It aims to protect vulnerable communities and key infrastructure from recurrent climate shocks while improving water security and livelihoods in central and eastern Tanzania, the statement said.

The project is expected to directly benefit about 774,000 people across the districts of Gairo, Kilosa and Mvomero in the Morogoro region, it said.

Key interventions include strengthening hydrometeorological monitoring and early warning systems, constructing climate-resilient infrastructure such as dikes and check dams, and restoring about 1,200 hectares of degraded watersheds to improve water retention and ecosystem health.

Implementation of the project is projected to generate around 3,500 temporary jobs during the construction phase and about 1,000 long-term jobs, with a strong focus on employment opportunities for women and young people, the statement said.

According to the African Development Bank Group, expected outcomes include reduced impacts of floods and droughts, improved availability of water for households and agriculture, and strengthened institutional capacity for climate adaptation and water resource management. Enditem