| |
Volta
Volta Basin facts
Basin States and % territory of total basin: Burkina Faso (42.07%), Ghana (40.21%), Togo (6.25%), Mali (4.57%), Benin (3.62%), Ivory Coast (3.24%)
Basin Area: 414,000 km2
Basin population: an estimated 14 million inhabitants.
Major Infrastructure: Akosombo Dam (Ghana) and Lake Volta (the world’s largest man-made body of water created by the Akosombo Dam), the Kompienga Dam (Burkina Faso), the Bui Dam (Ghana, planned).
Background
The hydrographical basin of the Volta River covers a surface area of about 414,000 km2, and encompasses six West African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Ghana and Togo. Total basin population is currently estimated at 14 millions inhabitants, but the region is under high demographical pressure, with a growth rate estimated at 2.9% per year. The extremely low incomes of much of the population result in overexploitation of the natural resources of the basin seriously affecting the sustainable development of the region.
Of all the natural resources of the basin, water resources constitute the main stake around which the development of the diverse sectors of the economy of the countries should be built; unfortunately this also means that water is the element around which there are potential conflicts between different states and stakeholders.
The basin rainfall varies from North to South between 400 mm in the North of Burkina Faso to 1800 mm in the coastal zone. The annual average evapotranspiration varies from 2500 mm in the North of the basin to 1800 mm in the coastal zone. The main waterways are: the Mouhoun (Black Volta), the Nakambé (White Volta), the Nazinon (Red Volta), the Sourou, the Sissili, The Oti, and the Pendjari.
The most significant water consuming towns of the basin are Bobo-Dioulasso and Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, Bolgatanga, Tamalé and Kumassi in Ghana, Natitingou in Benin and Sokodé in Togo. Their safe water supply is generally secured from a combination of surface and underground water resources.
The Akosombo dam is by far the largest in the basin, the construction of which created Lake Volta, an enormous man-made lake which has completely changed the natural flow of the river and caused a host of environmental and social problems, many of which are still unresolved. Ghana is now planning to build another large and very controversial dam at Bui. Upstream Burkina Faso is economically and industrially less developed than Ghana, but recently has built and proposed to build more dams, particularly for irrigation purposes. This is a potential source of acute conflict as Ghana rejects any plans that will reduce the volume of water reaching the Akosombo – on which they depend for almost all the energy needs of the country. It is crucial that all future projects are negotiated in a transparent and equitable manner between the basin states prior to construction, and that the riparians agree to the principles and determining factors which will provide the basis for future water resources development. As the population grows and the precipitation levels drop, pressure on water will intensify and such agreements will be essential to preventing conflicts.
Source: Green Cross International
 Print
Friendly
|
River Basin Initiative Portal
Webmaster