Rokel River

De Rokel River (sanso be Seli River; previously Pamoronkoh River) be de largest river wey de Republic of Sierra Leone insyd West Africa. De river basin dey measure 10,622 km2 (4,101 mi2) in size, plus de drainage be divided by de Gbengbe den Kabala hills den de Sula Mountains. De estuary wich dey extend over an area of 2,950 km2 (1,140 mi2) cam be a Ramsar wetland site of importance insyd 1999. Geography De Rokel dey rise insyd de 900-metre-high (3,000 ft) interior plateau of de Loma Mountains, insyd de Guinea Highlands of north central Sierra Leone, dey flow southwest about 240 miles (390 km) thru hill ranges den, togeda plus a smaller, parallel stream dem call Port Loko Creek, dey feed into de Rokel estuary before entering de Atlantic Ocean. De estuary, after e join de Bankasoka River, sanso be called de Sierra Leone River, be 25 miles (40 km) in length wey e get a width of 4–10 miles (6.4–16.1 km). Freetown den Pepel be de two ports dey locate on de shores of de estuary. As de estuary dey widen den dey join de Atlantic ein width be about 11 km (6.8 mi). De southern shore be de deepest den dey form a natural harbour, wich dem report e be de third largest insyd de world. Mangrove swamps den de mud flats be de dominant ecosystem (wey dey account for 19% of de mangrove forest insyd de country) dem note around de river ein ria. De river basin dey measure 10,622 square kilometres (4,101 sq mi) in size, wey dem divide de drainage by de Gbengbe and Kabala hills den de Sula Mountains. De Rokel dey drop 15 metres (49 ft) at de Bumbuna waterfalls. Mangrove species dem record be Rhizophora, Avicennia, Laguncularia, den Conocarpus, wich dey cover an area of 34.23 hectares (84.6 acres). Sierra Leone ein capital city of Freetown dey lie at de entrance to de Sierra Leone River, about 25 miles (40 km) from de port of Pepel. Geology Rokel River den ein tributaries be defined as de "Rokel River Group" for geological study. De geological formation insyd dis group dem report to be of de Tabe formation plus glacial sediments wey dey dominate ein eastern edge wey be exposed along de river insyd sam stretches; de geological formation dem note insyd de river be granite rocks. De formation be broadly categorized as folded sedimentary rocks. E sanso be reported say ein orogeny dey belong to de Pan African thermo-tectonic age of about 550 Ma. Geologically e be a tectonically controlled basin plus formations of Precambrian, Infra-Cambrian den Pleistocene age. De river be hemmed between de Sula Mountains on de southeast den de grantoid hills of de Gbengbe and Kabal hills on de west. De notable cascade insyd de river be known as de Bumbuna water falls wer de river dey drop by 15 metres (49 ft) wey dey provide for building a hydroelectric project. History John MacCormac, an Irish businessman, settle on Timbo Island insyd 1816 wey he start dey export African Oak from de Rokel River. Na de trade be quite substantial for a while buh e eventually go into decline. Iron ore den alluvial gold mining begin insyd de late 1920s plus early 1930s, while de Bumbuna Falls hydroelectric project be underway. De Yalunka people establish demma capital, Falaba, wey b3nk3 de source of de Rokel. De estuary, wey dey extend over an area of 2,950 square kilometres (1,140 sq mi), be listed as Ramsar site of wetland importance insyd 1999. De site be bounded by Cape Point on de western side of de Freetown, by de Bunce River on one of demma banks, plus de Tagrin Point wer areas of de Rokel dey join at de southern end of ein mouth. Insyd February 2025, Thomas Mariee plete a 365km solo packraft descent of de Rokel River insyd 17 days. Development De Rokel river flow be measured at three gauge stations. De reported maximum den minimum discharge at Magbass, one of de three stations, be 1,905 cubic metres (67,300 cu ft) den 2 cubic metres (71 cu ft) respectively. Der be chaw projects dem develop insyd de river basin wich dey derive dema water supply requirements from dis river. De iron ore mining at Marampa be dependent on pumped water supply from de river. A Rokel River Water Rights Agreement (Ratification) Act be signed plus de developers of de mines; de mines dey in operation since 1933 to 1975 by Sierra Leone Development Company (DELCO) den Astro Minerals from 1983. De water agreement dey provide "exclusive den preferential rights to de use of de Rokel waters by special agreement" for a period of 89 years from 1 January 1938. De environmental impacts on de downstream users plus disposal of tailings from de mining operations no be addressed. De iron dem extract result in reduction of de height of one of de ore bearing hills by 24.4 metres (80 ft). Gold mining insyd de Sula Mountains den insyd de Rokel river sediments be an extensive operation dem undertake since 1929 insyd de river den ein tributaries after na dem find gold insyd de mountains. Steam sediment studies be carried out for assessing de mineral concentration of arsenic. De panning operation insyd de river using manual labour be based on paddocking. Dis alluvial gold mining operation be described as environmentally destructive as forest denudation for de purpose of mining cause extensive erosion of de hills den consequent sedimentation of de river den ein tributaries. De Bumbuna Dam be developed on de river by building a 93 metres (305 ft) high dam insyd de narrow reach of de river, wich create a lake wey dey stretch 30 kilometres (19 mi) upstream. De Magbass Irrigation Project be implemented downstream of de dam. De project implementation be assisted by China for sugarcane cultivation. De project, dem implement insyd 1980, dey locate at Magbass on de banks of de river wey e get an irrigation command of 880 square kilometres (340 sq mi). Flora den fauna De flora insyd de estuary dey consist of mangrove forest. De avifauna insyd de area dey consist of 10,000 birds of 36 species (1995 record). E sanso be reported say der be eight winter wader species dem report wich dey account for 1% of ein world population. De eight species of palaearctic migrant waders dem record be: Ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula) Kentish plover (Pluvialis squatarola) Sanderling (Calidris alba) Curlew sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) Eurasian whimbrel (Numeniusphaeopus) green shank (Tringa nebularia) red shank (Tringa totanus) Western reef heron (Egrette gularis) References Bibliography Bird, Eric (8 April 2010). Encyclopedia of the World's Coastal Landforms. Springer. ISBN 978-1-4020-8638-0. Brebbia, C. A.; Popov, V. (2013). Food and Environment II: The Quest for a Sustainable Future. WIT Press. ISBN 978-1-84564-703-2. Hambrey, M. J.; Harland, W. B. (2011). Earth's Pre-Pleistocene Glacial Record. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-17230-1. Rosbjerg, Dan (1997). Sustainability of Water Resources Under Increasing Uncertainty. International Association for Hydrological Sciences. ISBN 978-1-901502-05-3. Shillington, Kevin (2004). Encyclopedia of African History. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-57958-245-6. Mangroves of Western and Central Africa. UNEP/Earthprint. 2007. pp. 41–. ISBN 978-92-807-2792-0. External links