Mtera Dam
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 two hours on a tarmac road.
| Mtera Dam | |
|---|---|
 The Mtera Reservoir in the year 2012. | |
  Location in Tanzania  Mtera Dam (Africa) .svg.png) Mtera Dam (Earth) | |
| Official name | Bwawa la Mtera (Swahili) |
| Country | Tanzania |
| Coordinates | 7°08′10.3″S 35°59′12.6″E |
| 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 |
| Website Tanesco website | |
| Source: TANESCO[1] | |
Overview
Mtera Dam is a large 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. It has a capacity of 80 megawatts (110,000 hp).
Ecology
The lake is considered to be one of the best places in Tanzania to observe birds, since there are approximately 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 about 5000 tonnes of fish were caught in the lake.[3]
References
- "Mtera Dam". TANESCO. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. 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
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