Kainji Dam is a dam

Dam

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

 across the Niger River

Niger River

The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...

 in western Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

. Construction of the dam began in 1964 and was completed in 1968. The total cost was estimated at $

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

209 million, with one-quarter of this amount used to resettle people displaced by the construction of the dam and its reservoir, Kainji Lake

Kainji Lake

Kainji Lake, in western Nigeria, is a reservoir on the Niger River, formed by the Kainji Dam. It was formed in 1968 and is a part of Niger State and Kebbi State. Kainji Lake National Park , situated around the lake, is Nigeria's oldest National Park, established in 1976.-Dam:The Kainji Dam is...

. The dam is one of the longest dams in the world.

Dimensions

Kainji Dam extends for about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), including its saddle dam, which closes off a tributary valley. Most of the structure is made from earth, but the centre section, housing the hydroelectric turbine

Turbine

A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...

s, was built from concrete. This section is 65 metres (213.3 ft) high.

Capacity

The dam was designed to have a generating capacity of 960 Megawatts; however, only 8 of its 12 turbines have been installed, reducing the capacity to 760 Megawatts. The dam generates electricity for all the large cities in Nigeria. Some of the electricity is sold to the neighbouring country of Niger

Niger

Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...

. In addition, occasional droughts have made the Niger's water flow unpredictable, diminishing the dam's electrical output. The dam has a single-lock chamber capable of lifting barges 49 metres (160.8 ft).

Lake Kainji

Kainji Lake

Kainji Lake

Kainji Lake, in western Nigeria, is a reservoir on the Niger River, formed by the Kainji Dam. It was formed in 1968 and is a part of Niger State and Kebbi State. Kainji Lake National Park , situated around the lake, is Nigeria's oldest National Park, established in 1976.-Dam:The Kainji Dam is...

 measures about 135 kilometres (83.9 mi) long and about 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) at its widest point, and supplies a local fishing industry

Fishing industry

The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....

. In 1999, uncoordinated opening of floodgates led to local flooding of about 60 villages.