Asokombo Dam Essay

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Saraa Ghana Asokombo Dam In Ghana, they wanted to develop quickly as soon as it gained independence in 1957. It wanted factories, hospitals, new homes, roads, schools and many more. However, if all this was to be constructed, they needed energy. One method they tried in their journey to development was the Akosombo Dam project. The Dam was meant to provide a way to create electricity through the form of hydroelectricity. The project involved over 80,000 people being moved from their homes, farms or villages to make way for the Akosombo Dam. Its vast lake drowned 4% of Ghana. It cost them £168 million and as soon as the dam was built in 1965, after 4 years of construction, they were in serious debt. This project was known as a top down development. A top down development are projects that are organised by governments or large companies which have a large amount of investment and affect a large area. Then this creates a chain reaction, so eventually, they start helping people at a community level. There were many advantages to the Akosombo Dam project. Advantages of the Dam were; • More electricity at home; The fact that there is at least some electricity means that some locals can have a few hours to use electricity for work and chores. People can use the electricity to work and cook which would be more helpful and convenient. • Water for irrigation; The water available for watering crops improves agriculture in the area and provides greater certainty with production than is possible with dry land farming. It also provides options for diversification or intensification as well as allowing farmers to grow more pasture and increase livestock production. Irrigation ensures crops are not affected by moisture stress at critical growing times and provides greater opportunity to gain a pasture or crop response

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