Diama Dam

Diama Dam

Ship lock on the dam
Location of Diama Dam in Senegal
Country Senegal/Mauritania
Location Diama-Maka
Coordinates 16°13′0.20″N 16°24′53.63″W / 16.2167222°N 16.4148972°W / 16.2167222; -16.4148972Coordinates: 16°13′0.20″N 16°24′53.63″W / 16.2167222°N 16.4148972°W / 16.2167222; -16.4148972
Purpose Navigation, water quality, irrigation
Status Operational
Construction began 1981
Opening date 1986 (1986)
Construction cost US$149.5 million
Dam and spillways
Type of dam Gravity
Impounds Senegal River
Height 18 m (59 ft)
Length 610 m (2,000 ft)
Spillway capacity 6,500 m3/s (230,000 cu ft/s)
Reservoir
Total capacity 250,000,000 m3 (200,000 acre·ft)
Surface area 235 km2 (91 sq mi)

The Diama Dam, sometimes referred to as the Maka–Diama Dam, is a gravity dam on the Senegal River, spanning the border of Senegal and Mauritania. It is located next to the town of Diama, Senegal and about 22 km (14 mi) north of Saint-Louis, Senegal. The purpose of the dam is to prevent saltwater intrusion upstream, supply water for the irrigation of about 45,000 ha (110,000 acres) of crops and create a road crossing for the road between St. Louis and Nouakchott in Mauritania. Additionally, a ship lock built within the dam provides for navigation upstream. Plans for the dam were first drawn in 1970 when the riparian states within the Senegal River Basin Development Authority agreed to develop the Senegal River. The Diama Dam was to be constructed in conjunction with the Manantali Dam which was to be located further upstream in Mali. Construction on the Diama Dam began on 15 September 1981 and was completed on 12 August 1986. The Manantali Dam was completed in 1988. The Diama project was funded by a US$149.5 million loan from the African Development Bank.[1][2] The main section of the dam with ship lock and spillway is 170 m (560 ft) long while a 440 m (1,440 ft) long embankment dam section extends north to the edge of the river. A dike further extends the dam to the north. The dam is 18 m (59 ft) tall and it's spillway has a maximum discharge of 6,500 m3/s (230,000 cu ft/s).[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Diama Dam Project" (PDF). African Development Bank. 25 October 1988. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "Dams in Africa". UN FAO. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  3. ↑ "Barrage de Diama" (PDF). OVMS. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
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