School-children dance with excitement in the drought stricken Transvaal in South Africa as a drilling rig strikes safe water.
South Africa is a hot and arid country and fast growth in its population combined with rapid urbanization and industrialization has resulted in a progressive decline in the volume of available water. Simultaneously water quality has declined as a result of increased pollution levels and has further reduced the quantity of water available for use. The availability of water of acceptable quality is predicted to be South Africa's single greatest and most urgent developmental constraint. Virtually all surface waters are already committed for use and water has to be imported from neighbouring countries. Providing adequate drinking water is recognised as a worldwide problem and is particularly severe in rural and rapidly growing urban areas. In the developing world one out of six people live without regular access to safe drinking water and diseases related to water kill a child every eight seconds and are responsible for 80% of all illnesses and deaths. Large irrigation schemes have not always been a success in Africa. An important underlying problem is the imposition of new technology that is alien to the indigenous culture and not involving the local community at an early stage. The success of water supply to rural communities depends on maximum community involvement. This is greatly enhanced where the local people are familiar with the technology and can install and maintain the system. Intermittent droughts in the Transvaal have changed the perception of a province previously considered to have adequate supplies of surface water. Groundwater has progressively become more important and major drilling programmes have been undertaken to tap into resources The challenge of providing developing rural areas in South Africa with sufficient potable water is substantial, especially in regions where settlements are not densely concentrated. The needs of these settlements can often be met most cost effectively from sinking boreholes into groundwater supplies.
Size: 5669px × 5641px
Location: Venda, South Africa
Photo credit: © qaphotos.com / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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