{ "culture": "en-ZA", "name": "", "guid": "", "catalogPath": "", "snippet": "Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs) are now defined as areas of land that either: (a) supply a disproportionate (i.e. relatively large) quantity of mean annual surface water runoff in relation to their size and so are considered nationally important; or (b) have high groundwater recharge and where the groundwater forms a nationally important resource; or (c) areas that meet both criteria (a) and (b).", "description": "

The newly defined groundwater SWSAs cover around 9% of the land surface of South Africa (see map). They account for up to 42% of the river baseflow generated by these water source areas and have a key role in sustaining surface water flows during the dry season. The total groundwater recharge (replenishment) for South Africa is estimated to be 34 912 million m3/a, and the recharge generated within surface water SWSAs is 11 675 million m3/a (33%) whereas the groundwater SWSAs generate 5397 million m3/a (15%). The relatively low value for groundwater SWSAs is due to the method used in their delineation, in which only the areas of overlap between high recharge and high levels of use or dependence were identified at national level.<\/SPAN><\/P><\/DIV><\/DIV>", "summary": "Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs) are now defined as areas of land that either: (a) supply a disproportionate (i.e. relatively large) quantity of mean annual surface water runoff in relation to their size and so are considered nationally important; or (b) have high groundwater recharge and where the groundwater forms a nationally important resource; or (c) areas that meet both criteria (a) and (b).", "title": "Groundwater_strategic_SA_2018", "tags": [ "Groundwater source areas" ], "type": "", "typeKeywords": [], "thumbnail": "", "url": "", "minScale": 150000000, "maxScale": 5000, "spatialReference": "", "accessInformation": "CSIR, 2019", "licenseInfo": "" }