Although practically all the earth’s human population lives on dry land, out surface is covered by water. Of that water, almost all of it is in the oceans, With just 2.5 percent of it in the form of fresh, rather than saltwater.
With the world surface covered by water, Ghana has many water bodies ranging from the seas to rivers that flow throughout the country. When it comes to lakes, Ghana has many and we can boast of very few. Remember back in school, we use to travel to see some of these lakes. Tourist around the globe also visit as Ghana hold the second-largest man-made lake in the world. From the largest to the small lake, these are the top 4 lakes in Ghana you should visit.
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1.Lake Volta
Volta lake is the largest man-made lake in African and the second man-made in the world. The lake is formed by the Akosombo Dam, which begun in 1961 and completed in 1965 by the formal President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s government. It is about 250 miles (400km) long and covers 3,283 square miles or 3.6 percent of Ghana’s land.
The lake is navigable and provides a cheap route linking Ghana’s northern savanna with the coast. It is also the major fishing ground and provides irrigation water for farmland in the dry Accra plains lying immediately below the dam site. The generating capacity of the dam’s hydro-electric power plant is 912 megawatts of electricity. This power is used by the aluminum smelter located at the port of Tema and supplies most of Ghana’s electricity needs.
2.Lake Bosomtwi
The lake is located in the Ashanti region of Ghana, some 30km south-east of the region’s capital Kumasi. Lake Bosomtwi and its surrounding crater was created by a large meteorite strike the place 1million years ago. The lake is surrounded by small villages which have a combined population of about 65.000 people. In the Ashanti tradition, the lake was regarded as sacred water, where departing souls make their last stop to bid farewell to the river for protecting them through their life before making their journey to the ancestral land.
There are a lot of activities you would like to do when you visit the lake, like fishing and birding. Fishermen are only allowed to ride in the lake using wooden planks instead of boats.
3.Weija lake
Weija lake is a dam on the Dansu River which supports the main water treatment plan for Accra Ghana. It is operated by the Ghana water company. This supplies about 80 percent of the potable water for the entire city of Accra and its surroundings.
Recently the environmentalists and civil society groups have expressed fear over the survival of the lake in the long term citing the building of houses close to the lake and pollution of the lake as a major threat that could deplete the lake in some years to come.
4.Lake Tadane
Lake Tadane is a seasonal lake in the Western province of Ghana. It grows dramatically in the wet season. The lake is home to an interesting community, who built a village on stilts. The name of the village is Nzulezu. Access to the village is regulated by the Tourism authorities and tickets must be obtained from Beyin on the mainland. The trips on the lake in a small canoe are very relaxing and interesting. The waterways often lead through thick bush and along the canals, which are equipped with traditional fish capturing traps. It is a different experience from lying on the beach or visiting the slave forts on the coast.