Traditional water sources – Lifeline in a time of need

Abstract

Rural water supply Traditional water resources are proving the only lifeline to poor rural communities in the scenic coastal region of north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal amidst failed local service delivery and drought conditions. Althea Grundling investigates the importance of traditional sources of water to a community in the grip of a nine-year drought. Site that was rewarded this status in December 1999. The area is characterised by sandy soils with rapid infiltration rates and a low soil water-holding capacity that forms the Maputaland Coastal Aquifer. Very little rain water has recharged the aquifer over the last decade, and this has negatively influenced the wetlands in the area. The once expansive grasslands, forests and unique wetlands and peatlands (see The Water Wheel of July/August 2010) are facing increased threats from uncontrolled activities such as grazing lands and the encroachment by local farmers into peat swamp forests by slash-and-burn activities and draining these unique and threatened ecosystems.

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