Akosombo Dam

De Akosombo Dam, wey dem sanso dey bell am Volta Dam, be sam hydroelectric dam wey dey de Volta River top for southeastern Ghana wey dey Akosombo gorge insyd den part of de Volta River Authority. De construction of de dam flood part of de Volta River Basin wey elead go de subsequent creation of Lake Volta. Lake Volta be de largest man-made lake for de world insyd by surface area. It covers 8,502 square kilometres (3,283 sq mi), wey be 3.6% of Ghana ein land area. Plus de volume of 148 cubic kilometers, Lake Volta be de world ein third largest man-made lake by volume; de largest wey be Lake Kariba wey get 185 cubic kilometers of water. Na de primary purpose of de Akosombo Dam be say ego provide electricity for de aluminium industry. Na dem dey bell Akosombo Dam as "de largest single investment for de economic development plans of Ghana." De dam be significant for providing de majority of both Togo den Benin ein electricity, although de construction of de Adjarala Dam (for Togo ein Mono River) dey hope say ego reduce dese countries' reliance for imported electricity top. Na de dam ein original electrical output be 912 megawatts (1,223,000 hp), wey dem upgrade go 1,020 megawatts (1,370,000 hp) for sam retrofit project insyd wey dem fini for 2006 insyd. De flood wey create de Lake Volta reservoir displace chaw menners wey na eget significant impact for de local environment top, edey include seismic activity wey lead go coastal erosion; sam hydrology wey echange cause microclimatic changes plus less rain den higher temperatures. De soil wey dey surround de lake be less fertile than de soil wey dey ein unders, wey heavy agricultural use dey require de use of fertilizers, wey elater dey lead am go eutrophication, wey cause, among others, de explosive growth of sam invasive weed wey dey render water navigation den transportation difficult, wey edey form sam habitat for de vectors of water-borne illnesses such as bilharzia, river blindness den malaria. Resettlement of de inhabitants wey edisplace prove complex wey for sam cases ebe unsuccessful; traditional farming practices disappear wey emake poverty increase. Ein Design Geologist Albert Kitson wey he conceive de dam for 1915 insyd, but dem no draw any plan till de 1940s insyd. Dem propose de development of de Volta River Basin for 1949 insyd, bah secof na funds no chaw, de American company Volta Aluminum Company (Valco) lend Ghana money so say dem go fi construct de dam. Presido Kwame Nkrumah adopt de Volta River hydropower project. Ein Construction For May 1960 insyd, de Ghana government call for tenders for construction of de hydroelectric dam. For 1961 insyd, sam Italian consortium, Impregilo wey na ecomplete de Kariba Dam, win de contract. For 1961 insyd, Ghana ein Parliament establish Volta River Authority (VRA) through de passage of de Volta River Development Act. Six Board members den Nkrumah as chairman wey structure VRA ein fundamental operations. VRA ein primary task be say ego manage de development of de Volta River Basin, wey na edey include de construction den supervision of de dam, de power station den de power transmission network. De VRA be responsible for de reservoir wey dem impound by de dam, fishing for de lake insyd, lake transportation den communication, den de welfare of menners wey dey surround de lake. Ein Power generation De dam dey provide electricity go Ghana den ein neighboring West African countries, wey dey include Togo den Benin. Initially na 20% of Akosombo Dam ein electric output (wey dey serve 70% of national demand) be wat Ghanaians dey get for form of electricity, na dem dey generate de remaining 80% give Valco. Ein Impacts De Akosombo Dam dey benefit sam industrial den economic activities from de addition of lake transportation, fishing wey e increase, fresh farming activities for de shoreline, den tourism. Biological habitat References