Size:  54,475 km²

Location:

The Olifants River passes through three provinces of South Africa (Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Northern Province), through the Kruger National Park, into Mozambique, where it joins the Limpopo. It is therefore a tributary to the Limpopo.

Average annual precipitation:  631 mm

Annual water quantities (supply and demand):

Supply: Mean Annual Runoff 1,992 million m³ [2]

Demand : 976 million m³ (including hydropower) . Estimated future demand 2010 : 1,210 million m³

The river has been known to have zero flow during short periods as it enters Kruger Park

Aquifer:

Groundwater is an important source of water for many small towns, villages, small-scale farmers. Most of the groundwater exists in a relatively shallow weathered aquifer

Topography:

Altitudes range between 2300 m and 300 m at the Mozambique border

Population:

Currently about 3.4 million, some living in urban areas with modern domestic water supply and sanitation systems, but most living in rural areas or towns with rudimentary or no formal domestic water supply system and no sanitation system.

Land uses:

• Agriculture, of which commercial and small scale irrigation is about 100,000 ha. Main crops are: maize, cotton, vegetables, citrus, wheat, tobacco
• Forestry area: 71,500 ha
• The Kruger National Park is the largest in South Africa, with about 20,000 ha. (mostly in the basin)

Infrastructure:

There are over 2,500 dams, of which 30 are classified as major dams (>2 million m³).

Water users in the basin:

• Urban: largely from the river.
• Mining and industry: largely from the river, including small amounts imported from another basin. More than half of South Africa's electricity is generated in the Upper Olifants Basin.
• Agriculture: largely from the river. There is a strong distinction between "commercial" farmers, who have relatively larger farms, sophisticated technologies, often grow high-value crops (e.g., citrus), most of which are for export; and "small-scale" farmers, most of whom are undercapitalized, with poor support services, lack good market access, and are struggling, as a result of the previous Apartheid policies and withdrawal of subsidies in recent years.
• Recreation: boating and fishing on river and in reservoirs.
• Environment: especially the National Park.

Existing and forecasted uses and concerns:

• Water demand exceeds supply seasonally at present. Current projections show that water resources will be fully utilized by 2010. Consideration of reallocation among uses will therefore be necessary.
• Water quality management will be an increasingly important issue in future, largely because of existing mines, and pollution from closed mines.
• Provision for the environmental demands through the implementation of a 'Reserve' to maintain the ecological integrity of the resource, is expected to have a significant effect on water availability for commercial uses.
• Possible expansion of small-scale irrigation to meet equity objectives may affect water availability for other sectors. Demand management will be essential.
• Overgrazing of the upper middle and lower middle regions is already causing high silt loads, aggravated by the highly erodable soil types found here.
• Satisfying the legitimate demands of the downstream country (Mozambique) (both for water supply, and in terms of occasional flood control and also salinity control near the Indian Ocean is likely to become a serious problem in future.

Water policy and management issues include:

• Meeting human needs and environmental requirements as called for in the 1998 water law
• Demand management by commercial users
• Maintaining water quality
• Satisfying downstream requirements without threatening upstream uses which generate considerable economic wealth

Institutional structure:

Currently, the national Department of Water Affairs and Forestry is responsible for water resource management, including management of major infrastructure. However, by the year 2001, a "Catchment Management Agency" is scheduled to be established, which will be a mechanism for stakeholders to participate in and eventually take responsibility for water resource management. Water Users Associations will take increasing responsibility for localized management of irrigation infrastructure and control structures, while water boards and local governments are responsible for provision of domestic water services.

Professional capabilities:

• Excellent in the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and its consultants
• Excellent in universities and research institutes
• Mixed capacities at local levels

Data and models:

There are considerable data and a number of models developed by consultants for the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF), though we lack specific information on these. Hydrological data are collected regularly by DWAF.

Benchmark Basin Main Page

Activities and objectives

Current Benchmark Basins:

• Ruhuna - Sri Lanka
• Rechna Doab (Indus River sub-basin) - Pakistan