Mtera Dam

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title: "Mtera Dam" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["dams-completed-in-1979", "energy-infrastructure-completed-in-1979", "dams-in-tanzania", "hydroelectric-power-stations-in-tanzania", "buildings-and-structures-in-the-iringa-region", "buildings-and-structures-in-the-dodoma-region", "important-bird-areas-of-tanzania"] description: "Dam in Tanzania" topic_path: "general/dams-completed-in-1979" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mtera_Dam" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Dam in Tanzania ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox dam"]

Field	Value
name	Mtera Dam
name_official
image	Mtera Lake at Sunset.jpg
image_size	270px
image_caption	The Mtera Reservoir in the year 2012.
location_map	Tanzania#Africa#World
location_map_size	270px
location_map_caption	Location in Tanzania
coordinates
country	Tanzania
purpose	Flood control and power
status	O
construction_began	1970
opening	19 February 1981
owner	TANESCO
dam_type	Rock-fill dam
dam_crosses	Great Ruaha River
dam_height	40 m
dam_elevation_crest	701.5 m
res_catchment	68000 km2
plant_commission	1984
plant_turbines	2× 40 MW
plant_capacity	80 MW
website
extra	Source: TANESCO
::

| name = Mtera Dam | name_official = | image = Mtera Lake at Sunset.jpg | image_size = 270px | image_caption = The Mtera Reservoir in the year 2012. | location_map = Tanzania#Africa#World | location_map_size = 270px | location_map_caption = Location in Tanzania | coordinates = | country = Tanzania | location = | purpose = Flood control and power | status = O | construction_began = 1970 | opening = 19 February 1981 | demolished = | cost = | owner = TANESCO | dam_type = Rock-fill dam | dam_crosses = Great Ruaha River | dam_height = 40 m | dam_length = | dam_elevation_crest = 701.5 m | dam_width_crest = | dam_width_base = | dam_volume = | spillway_count = | spillway_type = | spillway_capacity = | res_name = | res_capacity_total = | res_capacity_active = | res_capacity_inactive= | res_catchment = 68000 km2 | res_surface = | res_max_length = | res_max_width = | res_max_depth = | res_elevation = | res_tidal_range = | plant_name = | plant_operator = | plant_commission = 1984 | plant_decommission = | plant_type = | plant_hydraulic_head = | plant_turbines = 2× 40 MW | plant_capacity = 80 MW | plant_capacity_factor= | plant_annual_gen = | website = | extra = Source: TANESCO

Mtera Dam is a hydroelectric dam in Tanzania. The dam is located midway between Iringa and Dodoma on the border between the Iringa Region and the Dodoma Region. The travel time from Dodoma is about two hours on a tarmac road.

Overview

Mtera Dam is a large hydroelectric dam in Tanzania. It measures 660 sqkm at full capacity. The lake is 56 km long, and 15 km wide, and is feed by the Great Ruaha River and the Kisigo River. It was built from 1975 to 1979 for the purpose of regulating water level at the downstream at the Ruaha installed Kidatu Hydro-electric Dam. It has a capacity of 80 MW.

Ecology

The lake is considered to be one of the best places in Tanzania to observe birds, since there are approximately one million dead trees in it and it has many shallow areas. In addition, the waters are rich in fish. In the early 1990s about 5000 tonnes of fish were caught in the lake.

References

Öhman, May-Britt, Taming Exotic Beauties: Swedish Hydro Power Constructions in Tanzania in the Era of Development Assistance, 1960s - 1990s, Stockholm, 2007, PhD Thesis, http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:12267

References

1. "Mtera Dam". TANESCO.
2. "BirdLife Data Zone".
3. "Status of fish stocks and fisheries of thirteen medium-sized African reservoirs".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::