Koka Reservoir

The Koka Reservoir ( Amharic ቆቃ ሐይቅ ), also called Gelilasee, is an artificial lake in Ethiopia, whose dam the river Awash in the Oromia region in the south of the country accumulates about 75 kilometers south of the capital Addis Ababa.

The mean area of the lake in African grave breach in the East Shewa zone ( Misrak Shewa ) of Oromia is 180 square kilometers. The dam is 458 m long, its maximum height in the middle part is 47 m at the height of the lake level of 1592 m. Construction began in December 1957, the decrease was 1960., It incurred costs in the amount of 30.641 million Ethiopian Birr. The dam was built by an Italian company. It was kind of help and a reparation Italy for the period of the Italian occupation of Ethiopia 1936 until 1941. The building serves both the energy and the regulation of the river Awash.

With an area of ​​25,500 hectares up to the reservoir is in 20th place of the man-made lakes in Africa. As the capital Addis Ababa is located not far from the Kokasee is a popular excursion and holiday destination. The lake is surrounded by a wide Schilfsaum and provides habitat for many plants, eg Water hyacinth, birds and wildlife.

The lake is rich in fish, the annual catch of 625 metric tons, which represents about 52 % to 89 % of sustainable yield.

The rivers and Awash Modz bring large amounts of sediments, leading to high algal and plant growth.