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
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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.
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