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Water in South Africa

South Africa is a dry country, so we need to know where our water comes from and how to look after it. Read one part at a time and tap “I know this”. Then test yourself in the quiz.

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South Africa is a dry country

South Africa gets less rain than most countries in the world. The rain also does not fall evenly: the east is wetter, and the west is very dry.

Map of South Africa with rain clouds in the east and dry land in the west
The east gets more rain than the dry west.
Rule

Water is scarce in South Africa. Every drop counts.

Tap when you could tell someone without looking.

Where do we get water?

Our water comes from different places:

  • Rivers that flow down from the mountains.
  • Dams that store the water of rivers.
  • Groundwater under the ground, which we pump up with a borehole, and springs.
  • Rainwater that we catch in a tank.

In towns and cities most people have a tap inside the house or in the yard. In many rural areas people share a communal tap, pump water from a well or borehole, or fetch water from a river or stream and carry it home in buckets. River water can be dirty, it can dry up in a drought, and people often have to walk far to fetch it.

A river, a dam, a borehole and a rainwater tank
Four places water comes from.
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Our big rivers and dams

The Orange River is South Africa’s longest river. It flows from the mountains of Lesotho to the Atlantic Ocean. The Vaal River flows into the Orange River.

A dam is a wall across a river that holds back the water and stores it for dry times. The Gariep Dam on the Orange River is our biggest dam.

A river flowing from the mountain and filling up behind a dam wall
A dam wall holds back the river’s water for dry times.
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How does water reach your tap?

The water in your tap has travelled a long way:

  1. It is stored in a dam.
  2. A purification plant makes it clean and safe.
  3. Pipes carry it to a storage tank (reservoir) on a hill.
  4. From there it flows through pipes to your tap.
Water’s journey from a dam through a purification plant and pipes to a house
From the dam to the tap.
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Save water

Because we have little water, everyone must help to save it:

  • Take a short shower instead of a bath.
  • Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth.
  • Have leaking taps and pipes fixed.
  • Use rainwater for the garden.
A meerkat turning off the tap while brushing its teeth
The meerkat saves water at home.
Meerkat tip

One leaking tap can waste a whole bucket of water in a day!

Tap when you could tell someone without looking.

Remember this and test yourself

Remember this: your summary
  • South Africa is a dry country: the east gets more rain than the west.
  • We get water from rivers, dams, groundwater (boreholes and springs) and rainwater.
  • The Orange River is our longest river; the Gariep Dam is our biggest dam.
  • Water goes from the dam to a purification plant, through pipes to your tap.
  • Save water: shower short, turn off the tap and fix leaks.

Write these points in your book. Read them again the night before the test.

Memory trick

The Orange is the big brother (longest river); the Vaal is the little brother who joins him; the Gariep is the family’s piggy bank (biggest dam).

Flash cards · Tap to turn over

Important words

First say what the word means, then turn the card over.

Test yourself · Part 2

True or false?

Read the question and the answer. Is the answer right? Tap True or False.

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