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Dams In Nigeria And Their Locations: Complete List
As we all know, dams are very important for every country which really value basic infrastructures and developments. The dam serves as a source for …
As we all know, dams are very important for every country which really value basic infrastructures and developments. The dam serves as a source for electric power generation, irrigation and reservoirs.
The same thing goes for Nigeria which is the largest African country in terms of population and in today’s post, we will be discussing about dams in Nigeria stating their size, their location and uses.
We have various tiers in Nigeria which serves the dam and supplies the various reservoirs in the country.
Recommended: Top 10 Largest Dams In The World
How Does Hydroelectric Power Generate Electricity?
To generate electricity, a hydroelectric plant uses a reservoir or dam to store water, then the water is released, flows through turbines and spun, which activates the generator to produce electricity.
Nigeria has more than 20 dams scattered around the country, but as it is, some are very popular while majority haven’t even heard about some.
We have three major dams in Nigeria, with the largest, biggest and most popular dam being the Kainji dam. Most of Nigerian artificial lakes direct water to the Kainji dam with 8 water turbines installed.
The Kainji dam is also Nigeria’s hydroelectric plant, which supplies power to the country’s main cities.
What are Earth Dams?
Definition of earth dam: An Earth dam is a dam constructed of earth material (such as broken weathered rock, gravel, sand, silt, or soil). It has a core made of clay or other impervious materials and a rock facing of riprap to protect it against wave erosion.
Examples of earth dams in Nigeria are the Zobe dam, Bakolori dam. Earth filled dams are usually composed of earth or rock fill, energy and water.
Nigeria dams are mostly man-made and they can be found in the northern region of the country. Now let us check out the list of dams in Nigeria;
Location: North-West
Surface area hectares: N/A
Usage: For Water supply to neighboring communities and cities.
Location: North
Surface area hectares: 8,000 hectares
Usage: Mainly for Irrigation
Location: North-East
Surface area hectares: 120,000 hectares
Usage: For Agricultural Irrigation and possible use for hydroelectric power generation
Location: Central-Nigeria
Surface area hectares: 10 kilometers
Usage: Power generation.
Location: North-West
Surface area hectares: 3,857
Usage: Power generation.
Location: North-West
Surface area hectares: 178
Usage: Hydropower generation.
Location: North-West
Surface area hectares: not known
Usage: Hydroelectric Power Station.
Location: North-East
Surface area: 29,000
Usage: Serves as drinking water but also used as irrigation and hydropower generation.
Location: South-West
Surface area hectares: 12 square kilometers
Usage: Flood control, water supply and fishing.
Location: South-West
Surface area hectares: 2369
Usage: Water supply.
Location: North
Surface area: 20,000
Usage: Irrigation supply.
Location: North-East
Surface area: 11,500
Usage: Irrigation purpose, used by Savannah Sugar Company the sugar cane plantation company now owned by Dangote Industries.
Location: South-West
Surface area: 4,700
Usage: Planned to be used for generating electricity, water supply and irrigation purposes.
Location: North
Surface area: 4,000
Usage: Irrigation and water supply.
- Oyan River Dam, Oyan River, Ogun State
Location: South-West
Surface area: 4,000
Usage: Water supply to Lagos and Abeokuta.
Location: North-West
Surface area: 31,200
Usage: Generation of power.
Location: South-East
Surface area: N/A
Usage: Fishing, tourism, Irrigation and recreation functions.
Location: North
Surface area: 4,000
Usage: Artificial reservoir for water supply and fishing purposes.
Location: North
Surface area: 8,000
Usage: hydroelectric power generation and irrigation purpose.
It is worthy to know that Dams and reservoirs like Asejire reservoir creates Asejire Lake, Kainji Dam creates Kainji Lake, Tiga Reservoir creates Tiga Lakes.
If you’re wondering what is the difference between a reservoir and a lake, the difference is this “A reservoir is a lake which is created by a dam artificially while a lake is formed naturally without the need for a dam.
