Konkouré River Explained

The Konkouré River arises in west-central Guinea and flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Several dams on the river provide the country with much of its electricity.

The river originates in the Futa Jallon highland region and flows in a westerly direction to the Atlantic Ocean north of the Baie de Sangareya (Sangareya Bay)^[1] at 9°46'N, 14°19'W.^[2] The Kakrima River is its major tributary.^[2] The river delta covers .^[3] The "Lower Konkouré is a shallow, funnel shaped, mesotidal, mangrove-fringed, tide dominated estuary".^[4] Rice farms have been established in the mangrove areas of the delta "with some success".^[5]

In 1999, the Garafiri Dam was opened at a cost of $221 million; it can produce of electricity.^[1] Construction of a 240MW hydroelectric dam on the river was completed in June 2015 and commissioned on 28 September at a cost of $526 million;^[6] the 1545adj=midNaNadj=mid dam lies about ^[7] or ^[6] north of the capital city of Conakry.^[7] In 2015, the central government contracted with Chinese firms to begin building a 550MW dam (the Souapiti Hydropower Station), near Souapiti, about further upstream,^[7] which would almost double Guinea's power generation output at an estimated cost of $2 billion. This would, however, require that 15,000 people move out of what would become a flood plain.^[7]

The river is home to 96 recorded freshwater fish species.^[8]

Vessels of up to draft can navigate upstream to Konkouré; beyond that point, there are rapids.^[9]

Notes and References

1. Book: Camara . Mohamed Saliou . O'Toole . Thomas . Baker . Janice E. . Historical Dictionary of Guinea . 22 November 2016 . 7 November 2013 . Scarecrow Press . 9780810879690 . 195–196.
2. Web site: Source book for the inland fishery resources of Africa Vol. 2: Country Files (Contd.): Guinea . Food and Agriculture Organization.
3. Wolanski . Eric . Cassagne . Bernard . February 2000 . Salinity intrusion and rice farming in the mangrove-fringed Konkoure River delta, Guinea . Wetlands Ecology and Management . 8 . 1 . 29–36 . 10.1023/A:1008470005880.
4. Capo . Sylvain . Sottolichio . Aldo . Brenon . I. . Ferry . Luc . May 2006 . Morphology, hydrography and sediment dynamics in a mangrove estuary: The Konkoure Estuary, Guinea . . 230 . 3–4 . 199–215 . 10.1016/j.margeo.2006.05.003.
5. Book: Saenger, Peter. Mangrove Ecology, Silviculture and Conservation. 29 June 2013. Springer Science & Business Media. 9789401599627. 290–291.
6. Poindexter . Gregory B. . 1 October 2015 . Guinea increases generating capacity with US$526 million 240-MW Kaleta hydroelectric facility . HydroWorld .
7. Web site: China's CWE in Talks to Build $2 Billion Dam in Guinea . Wild . Franz . Camara . Ougna . 14 September 2015 . Bloomberg News.
8. Book: Smith . Kevin G. . etal . The Status and Distribution of Freshwater Biodiversity in Western Africa. 2009. IUCN. 9782831711638. 22.
9. Book: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency . National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency . NGA Sailing Directions-Enroute: 2008 West Coast of Europe and Northwest Africa (11th Edition) . 1 October 2009 . ProStar Publications . 9781577858850 . 240.