DID YOU KNOW?
A critical water source area, the trans-frontier mountains of Lesotho and the Maloti Drakensberg are one of Africa's great water towers. It supplies 34% of Gauteng's water, and 70% of Bloemfontein's water.
Phase 2 of the Lesotho Highland Water Project which will increase the supply of water to Gauteng has been delayed from 2020 to 2025. This project will cost an estimated R23 billion.
Interbasin transfer systems
Supplies water to
Alien Invasive Vegetation
Invasive alien trees that have spread through large parts of our country consume more than 2.9% of available water resources. In some catchments, water losses are higher than 25%. These losses contribute to biodiversity loss by crowding out indigenous species, devastating surrounding ecosystem.
Unsustainable land use practices pose a major threat to ecosystems and the livelihood of local communities. It damages flood plains, river banks and wetlands, reducing the regulating capacity of catchments and increasing erosion and sediment loads. This raises the risk of flooding.
Large Scale Cultivation
Large scale cultivation of mono-crops such as sugar can reduce the amount of water available in rivers, wetlands and aquifers. These crops use more water than the natural vegetation and so stream flow is reduced and they require fertilisers and pesticides which can end up causing pollution. Farming is crucial for feeding the population and creating rural jobs but farmers need to use water efficiently and sustainably to ensure that the quality and quantity of water left in the rivers can sustain the people living downstream.
© COPYRIGHT WWF SOUTH AFRICA 2013-2019.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.