Water Wheel May/June 2021: Ingula

Abstract

High mountain splendour: Ingula joins the list of globallyprotected wetlands There is a very distinct line high up in the Drakensberg mountain range that determines the future of almost every water droplet that falls here. If drops of rain fall on the north side of this line, most water will coalesce into the streams and rivers that eventually tumble westward into the Atlantic Ocean via the Wilge, Vaal and Orange rivers. But if rain falls on the other side of the mountain line, the drops will flow southwards into the Klip and Thukela rivers to eventually empty into the Indian Ocean on the other side of the continent. Not surprisingly, this watershed line also forms a provincial boundary between the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal and plays a crucial role in inducing orographic rainfall, where moisture drops from the clouds as they climb upwards to the towering Drakensberg Escarpment. More recently, this lofty line has assumed another surprising role – alleviating the Eskom power crisis.

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