Groundwater use in parts of the Limpopo Basin, South Africa

Water resources auditing on the South African side of the Limpopo Basin suggests that groundwater presents the only viable alternative source of cost-effective supply to meet future requirements. However, while aquifer yields are favourable in places, averaging 16.7 l/sec for main-stem alluvium, groundwater is already extensively used. Between 1995 and 2002, total groundwater use in the area rose by almost 40%, increasing from 98 to 136 million m(3) per year. In the particular case of commercial irrigation, over-exploitation of groundwater has been recorded in a number of places, especially in the northwest where drawdowns of more than 50m have resulted from decades of intense agricultural water use. Although groundwater use for mining is still low at 4% of total usage, the region is currently witnessing a surge in mining operations, and a significant growth in water requirements is envisaged for mining development.