Geo-physical Characteristics and Natural Environment

Location and Size

Krachi West District is located at the north-western corner of the Volta Region. It lies between longitudes 0º 05’West and 0º 07’West and latitudes 7º 65’ North and 8º 06’ North.  It is bounded to the east by the Oti River that separates it from the Krachi East District, to the north by the newly created Krachi Nchumuru District and to the south and west by the Volta Lake which separates it from the Sene East District of the Brong-Ahafo Region. It has a total surface area of about 1,074 Square Kilometers of which about 20 per cent is covered by water. Figure 1 below depicts the location of the Krachi West District in the national context

Relief and Drainage

The Krachi West District lies between the northern parts of the Central Uplands with hills ranging between 850m to 1000m above sea level.  The northern part of the district is part of the North Western Savanna Zone of the Volta Region which is characterized by almost flat relief with slopes ranging between 85m and 300m above sea level.  The district is drained mainly by Volta Lake. The Volta Lake also marks the end of the district to the South.  Other water bodies found in the district include numerous intermittent streams located in most parts of the district.  Generally, the area is well drained except few portions located close to the major rivers and streams that become waterlogged and pose problems for human and vehicular movement in the rainy seasons.

Climate, Vegetation, Soil and Rainfall

The district has a tropical climate with a mean maximum temperature of about 30 ºC (in March), and a minimum temperature of 25.5 ºC (in August). Relative humidity is high in the rainy season (about 85%) and very low in the dry season (about 25%).

The district lies in the transitional vegetation zone between the Savannah Zone in the north and the Forest Zone in the south. About 75% of the district is covered with savannah grass land characterized by short drought resistant trees notable among them being shea tree, and dawadawa. About 80 per cent of the uncultivated land of district is covered with grassland. Teak plantations are also quite common in parts of the district due to afforestation programs instituted by the District Assembly and its Development Partners under the Ghana Social Opportunities Programme (GSOP).

The major soils groups include Adankpa Association and the Kintampo Association around Kete-Krachi town, and patches of Dadiekro Lima and Volta Lima Association (sandy loam) in some locations close to the Volta Lake. About 70 per cent of farmers experienced losses in soil fertility in their farms. This is worsened by continuous cultivation which exposes the soil to erosion (KNUST- Spring Programme, Krachi District DMTDP 1996-2010). The rainfall pattern in the district is single maxima and the district enjoys maximum rainfall from mid- August-to mid- September There is a long dry season from October to mid-April with a rainy season lasting from late April to late September.