Location and Size

Area

The total area of the district is 1,667 square kilometers.

This constitutes about nine per cent (9%) of the Region’s area of 18,476 square kilometers. The Capital of the District is Jirapa. Other major towns are Hamile, Lambussie, Han, Piina, Tizza, Kami

Location

It is shares borderies to the South by the Nadowli District, to the North by the Lambussie-Karni district to the West by Lawra District and to the East by the Sissala West District.  The district capital, Jirapa, is 62 km away from Wa, the Regional capital. Its location presents a special development advantage for the district. See the map of Jirapa District in the next page showing major towns and communities and road network.

Topology and Drainage

The landscape of the district is generally flat and low lying with an average height of 300 metres above sea level. There are a few plateau surfaces ranging between 300 and 350 metres found at Yagha, Banwon, Jirapa, Lambussie and Billaw. The district is not well-drained as no major rivers are found except the intermittent tributaries of the Black Volta River.

The district is not well drained as no major rivers are found except the intermittent tributaries of the Black Volta River. These are Kaabaa around Ullo, Bakpong near Baazu, Dazugri in Jirapa and Telenbe at Tizza.

In the long dry season, these tributaries dry up leaving the district with no surface water catchment for domestic and agricultural purposes. The valleys of these tributaries are suitable for the development of small-scale irrigation dams and dugouts for dry season gardening, fishing and watering of animals, especially cattle. There are however, small-scale dams and dug-outs scattered throughout the district. Konzokala, Tizza, Jirapa and Ullo are some of the places where one can find dams and dug-outs.

Topographically, the landscape of the district is generally flat and low-lying with average height of 300 meters above sea level. There are few plateau surfaces ranging between 1,000-1,150 feet. These are found in Yagha and Jirapa.

Climate and Vegetation

The vegetation of the district is Guinea savannah woodland with light undergrowth and scattered trees. The shea, dawadawa, baobab and nime trees are of high economic importance to the people of the district. The district is situated in the tropical continental climatic zone.

The district is located in the tropical continental climate regime with mean annual temperature ranging between 28° C to 31° C which offers the opportunity for the development of solar energy. During the months of June-October the district experience a single rainy season induced by the moist monsoon winds with an intensity of 1,000-1,100mm per annum and humidity ranging between 70-90 percent but falling to 20 percent in the dry season.

The distribution of rain within the season is erratic which is difficult to predict for any cropping year as long spells of drought often punctuate the wet season, leading to partial or total crop failures. When this happens, it causes severe household food shortages and therefore acute malnutrition among children and women.  

The prevailing winds, the tropical continental air mass blowing from the North-East (Sahara), are cold, dry and dusty (Harmattan) usually between November to March. During this period of harsh weather, deaths caused by outbreaks of Cerebro-spinal Meningitis (CSM) and other disease are common in the district.

The vegetation of the district is generally the Guinea Savanna woodland with light undergrowth and scattered medium sized trees. The major trees which are also economic ones are shea, dawadawa, baoba and neem. 

Human activities such as bush burning, tree felling for fuel wood and charcoal burning improper farming practices and the excavation of vast areas for sand and gravel all contribute immensely to destruction of the natural vegetation and therefore the environment.

The predominant soil in the district is sand loam with underlying hard iron pans. There are however, narrow strips of alluvial soils along the numerous dry valleys of the tributaries of the Black Volta River. There is an extensive Birimanian formation consisting of granite rocks that store considerable quanties of ground water for borehole development.

The soil of the district is mainly sandy loam with underlying hard iron pans. There are however narrow strips of alluvial soils along the numerous dry valleys of the tributaries of the Black Volta River suitable for rice farming. It is important to remark that the sandy loam is susceptible to severe sheet and gully erosion caused by surface run-off during the peak of the wet season. The widespread erosion adversely affects not only the fertility of the soil but also contributes in silting the few dams in the district.

A clear example is the Bulkpong dam in Jirapa. Generally, however, the sandy loam is very fertile and enhances large scale cultivation of groundnuts which the district is a net exporter. There are large tracks of fertile soils in Somboro, Tuggo, Han and Mwankuri areas for large scale agricultural production.

There are also gravel pits scattered all over the district for road construction. While the extensive Birrimian formation and granite rocks largely found around Yahga and Jirapa store considerable quantities of ground water. This is the main source of water for sinking boreholes and hand dug wells. Geological survey carried out by a mining company in 1998 holds that the rocks contain gold deposits. Azumah Resources Ltd, an Australian based mining company is currently conducting exploration with the hope of developing a mine in 2012 at Yagha.