Oti River

Oti River

river

Mouth of the watercourse	Lake Volta
Tributary	Singou, Arli, Kara River
Country	Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo
Coordinate location	8°27′42″N 0°5′1″E, 10°39′8″N 1°28′51″E, 8°20′40″N 0°14′2″E

De Oti River anaa Pendjari River (French: Rivière Pendjari) be an international river insyd West Africa. E dey rise insyd Benin, dey form de border between Benin den Burkina Faso, dey flow thru Togo, den dey join de Volta River insyd Ghana.

Geography

De Oti River be about 520 km (323 mi) long. Ein headwaters be insyd Benin den Burkina Faso, e dey flow thru Benin den Togo den dey join de Volta River insyd Ghana. Tributaries on de left bank insyd Togo dey originate from de Togo Mountains to de south. One of ein eastern tributaries be de Kara River, de confluence be on de Ghana–Togo border, wer anoda tributary, de Koumongou River, dey join from de south. Na de mouth of de Oti formerly be on de Volta River, buh e now dey flow into Lake Volta reservoir insyd Ghana.

De river dey cross de northern part of Togo insyd a savannah-clad valley sam 40 anaa 50 km (25 anaa 31 mi) wide. Along de margins of de river be gallery forest wich dey flood periodically. De dry season hie dey last from about November til April, wey de hot dry Harmattan wind dey blow from de north. At dis time of de year de river ein flow be minimal. Both de Oti den de Koumongou get floodplains, sam 10 den 4 km (6.2 den 2.5 mi) wide, respectively. Dese dey flood extensively during de wet season, buh during de dry season dem cam be dry, dusty plains, plus de occasional pond anaa lake insyd a depression. Cattle dey graze on de floodplains during de dry season. Der sanso be sam small-scale growing of crops, den de hunting of game dey take place der.

International borders

De river dey form part of de international borders between Ghana, Burkina Faso, Togo, den Benin.

Parks

De Oti River dey flow thru Pendjari National Park insyd Benin den de Oti-Kéran National Park insyd Togo.

Length and Basin Characteristics

The Oti River get approximate length of about 520 km.

The river basin dey experience strong seasonal changes. Most of the tributaries dey reduce their water flow or even dry up during the dry season.

Hydrology and seasonal flow

The Oti River dey highly seasonal. The river discharge dey reach en highest level during the rainy season, while during the Harmattan dry season the water flow dey become very low.

This seasonal change dey cause regular flooding for the surrounding floodplains, especially for Togo and northern Ghana.

Ecology and environment

The Oti River basin include savannah ecosystems, floodplains and gallery forests wey support seasonal farming and livestock grazing.

When the river water level reduce during the dry season, people dey use the floodplains for grazing animals and cultivating crops.

Economic and human importance

The river be important water resource for agriculture, livestock production and local fishing communities across Burkina Faso, Togo and Ghana.

The river too support irrigation potential and rural livelihoods inside the Volta Basin, wey be one of the most important hydrological systems for West Africa..