Densu River

Densu River

river

Mouth of the watercourse	Gulf of Guinea, Weija Reservoir, Densuano
Tributary	Pompon
Country	Ghana
Coordinate location	5°31′0″N 0°19′0″W, 5°30′11″N 0°20′22″W, 5°30′37″N 0°19′17″W
Heritage designation	Ramsar site

Densu River be 116 km long river for Ghana insyd. It dey flow for de Atewa Range insyd. Edey flow thru agricultural region wey get economic value, wey esana edey supply half of de drinking water give Ghana ein capital city Accra. De river dey end for wetland delta where iget ecological value for de Atlantic Ocean ein coast. De Densuano Dam den Weija Dam dey job for de Densu River top.

Course den basin

Source den drainage basin

De Densu River dey flow from some height inside de Atwiredu Hills, wey be part of de ecologically sensitive Atewa Range Forest Reserve for de Akyem Abuakwa area for Ghana Eastern Region syd. From ein source, de river dey flow south go down for like 116 go 120 kilometres (72 to 75 mi) through agricultural den urban area wey get chaw people.

De Densu River Basin dey cover total catchment area of like 2,490 to 2,600 square kilometres (960 to 1,000 sq mi). For administration side, dem share de basin across three regions for Ghana: De Eastern Region get de largest share wey be 72%, then de Greater Accra Region get 23%, den de Central Region get 5%. De river ein flow dey get support from network of main rivers (tributaries), wey dey include de Pompon, Kuia, Adaiso, Dobro, Mame, den Nsaki rivers.

Weija Reservoir den water supply

Densu River, Accra

For de lower course insyd, de river dem block am plus de Weija Dam, dem build am for 1977 under Executive Instrument 130 to form de Weija Reservoir. De reservoir dey cover restricted zone of like 54.3 square kilometres (21.0 sq mi). De Weija Treatment Plant, ibe the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) wey dey manage am, dey process like 190,000 cubic metres (6,700,000 cu ft) of water every day from de reservoir. De facility dey supply almost 50% of de municipal drinking water give de western areas inside Accra, plus Kasoa den other peri-urban communities wey dey around Central Region insyd.

Estuary den Densu Delta

Estuary

For de Weija Dam down side, de river dey flow through ein final coastal part go enter de Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) for de west side of Accra. Where de river dey end dey form de Densu Delta, wey be ecologically important estuary den wetland system wey dey cover area of 5,895 hectares (14,570 acres). Dem name de delta as Ramsar site wey get international importance for 1992 insyd. De delta get sand dunes, salt pans, open lagoons, den mangrove forest wey be very important nesting grounds give birds wey dey travel from far den sea turtles.

Water governance den municipal supply

Municipal abstraction den treatment

De Densu River be vital source for domestic water supply for southern Ghana insyd, wey edey serve over two million people wey dey live for de Greater Accra den Central regions. De main place wey dem dey draw de water for de town be de Weija Dam, where de Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) dey run treatment plant plus capacity of 54.2 million gallons per day (MGD). Dis facility dey supply clean drinking water to western Accra, wey edey include areas like Sowutuom, Achimota, Mallam, den Bortianor, plus de fast-growing city Kasoa.

However, rapid urban encroachment den bad waste management along de river corridor affect de water quality badly, wey edey make de Densu one of de most polluted river systems for Ghana insyd. Runoff wey contain agricultural pesticides, untreated liquid waste from Nsawam-Adoagyiri, den sediment from illegal sand-mining operations dey gather for de Weija Reservoir insyd. Because of dis, de levels of turbidity, iron, phosphorus, den aluminum dey always pass de World Health Organization (WHO) drinking-water guidelines. To make sure say de public dey safe, GWCL dey force to spend close to 25% of ein total operational expenses for water treatment chemicals, especially alum den chlorine, so say dem go reduce sediment den pathogens.

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)

Because of intense developmental den environmental pressures, de Water Resources Commission (WRC) choose de Densu River Basin as Ghana ein highest-priority basin to run pilot Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) policies. Wey dem start am under de UN-Habitat den UNEP "Managing Water for African Cities" program, de basin ein first formal IWRM Plan dem launch am for 2007 insyd. Dis planning process dey use computer-based hydrological scenarios to balance upstream demand sites—like Koforidua den Nsawam—plus downstream environmental needs. One key part of de plan be say dem go keep minimum environmental water flow wey dey equal to de 95th percentile of monthly low-flows below de Weija Dam, so say dem go preserve de ecological health of de Densu Delta Ramsar site.

De Densu Basin Board

So say dem go decentralize water governance, de WRC inaugurate de Densu Basin Board (DBB) for March 2004 insyd as Ghana ein first functional, localized river basin board. Wey ein head office dey for dedicated secretariat, de DBB dey serve as multi-stakeholder platform wey dey coordinate water-use activities across 22 municipal den district assemblies inside de Eastern, Greater Accra, den Central regions. De board dey bring representatives from local government, non-governmental organizations (like A Rocha Ghana), water user groups, den traditional authorities together. Ein primary mandate include say dem go run de national Riparian Buffer Zone Policy so say dem go stop shoreline encroachment, monitor illegal water abstraction, den run public sanitation education so say dem go reduce pollution for de community level.

Environment

Dem designate de delta as Ramsar site wey be wetland of international importance. BirdLife International also identify am as Important Bird Area (IBA) because edey support chaw populations of waterbirds wey no dey breed den de ones wey dey spend winter dere, especially terns, wey dey include western reef egrets, spotted redshanks, den little, black, roseate, common, Sandwich den royal terns.

Threats

De population density of de Densu Basin be around 240 people per square kilometre. Part of de Densu River come turn dumping site for some residents wey dey live for de area, wey edey cause water pollution. Other activities wey dey go on der include farming, sand mining, den quarrying.

For popular culture insyd

• Ghanaian artist Kojo Antwi name ein second studio album, wey he release for 2002 insyd, after de river.
• Osibisa, wey be Afrobeat band, compose song wey dem title Densu, we dem dey explain de different varieties of fishes den de song fishermen dey sing.