Mtera Dam
| Mtera Dam | |
|---|---|
 Mtera Reservoir, 2012 | |
  Location in Tanzania | |
| Official name | Bwawa la Mtera (Swahili) |
| Country | Tanzania |
| Purpose | Flood control and power |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1970 |
| Opening date | 19 February 1981 |
| Owner(s) | TANESCO |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Rock-fill dam |
| Impounds | Great Ruaha River |
| Height | 40 metres (130 ft) |
| Elevation at crest | 701.5 metres (2,302 ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Catchment area | 68,000 km2 (26,000 sq mi) |
| Commission date | 1984 |
| Turbines | 2× 40 MW |
| Installed capacity | 80 MW |
| Source: TANESCO[1] | |
Mtera Dam is a hydroelectric dam in Tanzania. The dam is located midway between Iringa and Dodoma on the border between the Iringa Region and the Dodoma Region. The travel time from Dodoma is about three hours on a gravel road.
Overview
Mtera Dam is the largest[citation needed] hydroelectric dam in Tanzania. It measures 660 square kilometres (250 sq mi) at full capacity. The lake is 56 kilometres (35 mi) long, and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) wide, and is feed by the Great Ruaha River and the Kisigo River. It was built from 1975 to 1979 for the purpose of regulating water level at the downstream at the Ruaha installed Kidatu Hydro-electric Dam. Its capacity is 80 megawatts (110,000 hp).
Ecology
The lake is considered one of the best places in Tanzania to observe birds, since there are at the one million dead trees in it and it has many shallow areas.[2] In addition, the waters are rich in fish. In the early 1990s were a year about 5000 tonnes of fish caught in the lake.[3]
Earthquakes
On May 23, 2012 at 05:32:46 AM, a moderate M4.3 earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) at the northern side of the lake (close to the western shore). Location of the epicenter [4]
See also
References
- ^ "Mtera Dam". TANESCO. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ^ http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sites/index.html?action=SitHTMDetails.asp&sid=6992&m=0
- ^ http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/v4110e/V4110E06.htm
- ^ https://maps.google.com/maps?q=-6.9495+35.8367%28M4.3+-+TANZANIA+-+2012+May+23++05:32:46+UTC%29&ll=-7.092716,35.809937&spn=2.286606,2.469177&t=h&z=9
Öhman, May-Britt, Taming Exotic Beauties: Swedish Hydro Power Constructions in Tanzania in the Era of Development Assistance, 1960s - 1990s, Stockholm, 2007, PhD Thesis, http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:12267
External links
- Tanesco Website