Water, Sewage & Effluent March April 2019 | Page 30

South Africa is facing increasing water scarcity. According to the National Water Resource Strategy 2 (2013), development of groundwater resources will be crucial for sustaining water security. By Helgard Muller, Pr Eng Groundwater — invisible component of the hydrological cycle About the author Helgard Muller, Pr Eng, is a regular contributor to Water, Sewage & Effluent (WSE). His vast knowledge in policy and regulations while at the Department of Water and Sanitation adds huge value to WSE. Already, groundwater’s role in South Africa has undergone a major change since 1994 as part of the national drive to meet basic water needs. W ater from rivers and dams, the traditional source for bulk supply, is becoming limited and even unavailable in many catchments. The costs are soaring for building large infrastructure such as major dams. Already groundwater’s role in South Africa has undergone a major change since 1994 as part of the national drive to 28 meet basic water needs. Previously an undervalued resource and merely seen as ‘private boreholes’, groundwater has become a source of domestic water for more than 60% of communities in thousands of villages and small towns countrywide. But human nature prefers to trust only what can be seen. Groundwater Water Sewage & Effluent March/April 2019 The American Heritage Science Dictionary defines groundwater as water that collects or flows beneath the earth’s surface, filling the porous spaces in soil, sediment, and rocks. Groundwater originates from rain and from melting snow and ice and is the source of water for aquifers, springs, and wells. [In South Africa, wells are commonly known as boreholes — HM.] The upper surface of groundwater is the water table. www.waterafrica.co.za