Complete List of Dams In Nigeria And Their Locations

Nigeria is a big country and as such has many dams for its electric needs, today we will provide you with a Complete List of Dams In Nigeria And Their Locations. As we all know, dams are very important for every country that values 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 today’s post, we will be discussing dams in Nigeria stating their size, their location, and uses.

We have various tiers in Nigeria which serve the dam and supply the various reservoirs in the country.

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 is spun, which activates the generator to produce electricity.

How Many Dams Are In Nigeria?

Nigeria has more than 20 dams scattered around the country, but as it is, some are very popular while the majority haven’t even heard about some.

Major Dams In Nigeria

We have three major dams in Nigeria, with the largest, biggest, and most popular dam being the Kainji dam. Most Nigerian artificial lakes direct water to the Kainji dam with 8 water turbines installed.

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The Kainji Dam is also Nigeria’s hydroelectric plant, which supplies power to the country’s main cities.

Earth Dams In Nigeria

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 rock-facing riprap to protect it against wave erosion.

Examples of earth dams in Nigeria are the Zobe Dam and the Bakolori Dam. Earth-filled dams are usually composed of earth or rock fill, energy, and water.

Read Also: Top 10 Most Developed States In Nigeria

Nigeria’s 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;

1. Gusau Dam, Sokoto River, Zamfara State

Location: North-West

Surface area hectares: N/A

Usage: For Water supply to neighboring communities and cities.

2. Bakolori Dam, Sokoto River, Sokoto State

Location: North

Surface area hectares: 8,000 hectares

Usage: Mainly for Irrigation

3. Kafin Zaki Dam, Jama’are/Bunga River, Bauchi State

Location: North-East

Surface area hectares: 120,000 hectares

Usage: For Agricultural Irrigation and possible use for hydroelectric power generation

4. Kainji Dam, Niger River, Niger State

Location: Central-Nigeria

Surface area hectares: 10 kilometers

Usage: Power generation.

5. Challawa Gorge Dam, Challawa River, Kano State

Location: North-West

Surface area hectares: 3,857

Usage: Power generation.

6. Tiga Dam, Hadejia River, Kano State

Location: North-West

Surface area hectares: 178

Usage: Hydropower generation.

7. Jebba Dam, Niger River, Niger State

Location: North-West

Surface area hectares: not known

Usage: Hydroelectric Power Station.

8. Dadin Kowa Dam, Gongola River, Gombe State

Location: North-East

Surface area: 29,000

Usage: Serves as drinking water but is also used for irrigation and hydropower generation.

9. Ede-Erinle Reservoir, Erinle River, Osun State

Location: South-West

Surface area hectares: 12 square kilometers

Usage: Flood control, water supply, and fishing.

10. Asejire Reservoir, Osun River, Oyo State

Location: South-West

Surface area hectares: 2369

Usage: Water supply.

11. Goronyo Dam, Rima River, Sokoto State

Location: North

Surface area: 20,000

Usage: Irrigation supply.

12. Kiri Dam, Gongola River, Adamawa State

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.

13. Ikere Gorge Dam, Ogun River, Oyo State

Location: South-West

Surface area: 4,700

Usage: Planned to be used for generating electricity, water supply, and irrigation purposes.

14. Jibiya Dam, Gada River, Katsina State

Location: North

Surface area: 4,000

Usage: Irrigation and water supply.

15. Oyan River Dam, Oyan River, Ogun State

Location: South-West

Surface area: 4,000

Usage: Water supply to Lagos and Abeokuta.

16. Shiroro Dam, Kaduna River, Niger State

Location: North-West

Surface area: 31,200

Usage: Generation of power.

17. Obudu Dam, Cross River, Cross River State

Location: South-East

Surface area: N/A

Usage: Fishing, tourism, Irrigation, and recreation functions.

18. Jabi Dam, River Jabi, Abuja

Location: North

Surface area: 4,000

Usage: Artificial reservoir for water supply and fishing purposes.

19. Zobe Dam, Karaduwa River, Katsina State

Location: North

Surface area: 8,000

Usage: hydroelectric power generation and irrigation purposes.

It is worth knowing that Dams and reservoirs like the Asejire Reservoir create Asejire Lake, Kainji Dam creates Kainji Lake, and 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.