GREATEST WATERFALLS*

Compiled by Chilman Sahni

The flow of many waterfalls varies according to the season, and some have been reduced by building dams to harness their power for hydroelectric plants. The flow of the Boyoma waterfall is equivalent to 17 million litres a second- enough to fill more than 140, 000 baths per second, or enough for every person on Earth to have two baths a day!

          WATERFALL                                COUNTRY                                              AVERAGE FLOW (m3/sec)

1. Boyoma (Stanley)                        Dem. Rep. of Congo                                   17,000
2. Khône#                                             Laos                                                               11,330      
3. Niagara (Horseshoe)                   Canada                                                           5,830
4. Grande                                           Uruguay                                                         4,500     
5. Paulo Afonso                                Brazil                                                               2,800

*Based on volume of water

# Also the world’s widest waterfall at 10.8km

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