Water Resources
- Boreholes
- Groundwater Impacts
- Marine Water: Coastal zones, Ecology & Impacts
- Surface Water: Catchments, Ecology & Impacts
- Surface Water: Fresh water dams & Fresh water impacts
- Wetlands and Lakes
Boreholes
Throughout the world groundwater is the most important source of domestic water supply. Nearly 12 million people in South Africa, who do not have a basic water supply, rely on the country’s groundwater resources for their domestic water supply.
Groundwater Impacts
South African groundwater resources are at risk from the following threats:
- Groundwater abstraction and de-watering,
- Disturbance of aquifers by mining and related activities
- Damage to aquifers by waste disposal and related activities
- Rapid urbanisation, etc.
Wetlands and Lakes
South Africa’s only significant natural standing waters are its coastal lakes, mostly formed by the drowning of deep estuarine valleys. They range from totally isolated lakes and lakes with surface connections to the marine environment, but without tidal flows, through to those with either continuous or intermittent tidal connections.