A glance at groundwater's role in development

Abstract

GROUNDWATER Speaking at the 2005 Biennial Groundwater Conference in Pretoria, he said that groundwater is an important drinking water supply source to many, especially rural, communities in South Africa. It is estimated that more than 400 communities in the country are dependable on groundwater for domestic purposes. The main method of abstracting groundwater is by means of boreholes. Incidentally, a successful borehole in South Africa is defined as one with a yield of more than 0,1 l/s. This is sufficient to supply a small rural community using a handpump. According to Pietersen, groundwater has much potential in serving communities in areas where water infrastructure does not exist, and where water delivery is difficult due to arid conditions. In the Eastern Cape, for example, suitable high-yielding boreholes have been found associated with dolerite-ring and sillcomplexes. Traditionally, there has been a tendency to focus only on the short-term physical sustainability in providing basic water services to these communities.

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