Groundwater Bourtes
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126 46 This book is the second In this series and will tel you more about the different water regions In Namibla. • Look at the map of Namibia on the opposite page whlch has elght numbereci water regions on It. • Find your own water region and Lurn to the page number given for that region. • Sftidy your water reglon and tiy some ofthe activitles at the end of the chapter. • Perhaps you wouldlike to studyotherwaterreglons aswell, starting with the reglons that Join onto your own reglon. • Turn the page tofind a picturewith water-related terms. Thewords In bold print are explained here. Refer to this picture w!thwater -related terms as you read through your water reglon chapter. Whoops! Iets try to Ixevent the wastage of water! Sporisored by: NORAD (Norweglan Agency for Development Co-operatlon) Produced by: The Desert Research Foundation of Namibla Written by: Vivienne Ward Assisted by: Derick du Toit and Teresa Sguazzln of Enviroteach and Mary Seely, all of the Desert Research Foundation of Namibla Layout by: Asser Karita of Enviroteach ifiustratlons by: Asser Karita and Tasha Reid Maps drawn by: Taloe Wheelock With thanks to Shlrley Bethune for infomiation and many Ideas. to Messrs Cashman, van Langenhove and Dr. E. Tordiffe, as wellas their assodated staffat the DepartmentofWaterAffalrs. for their valuable Input. Thanks also to John Ward for his comments and Information. ©DRFN 1994 Reproduction for non-profit making educational purposes Is encouraged. ISBN 99916-30-38-4 The Wildilfe Society of Na.mlbia and the NainftLa Nature Foundation endorse this book to encourage an awareness of water and appreclation of its llmltatlons and value In a country as and as Nanilbia. This map shows the rivers of Nanifbia within the eight Water Regions. Most of these are ephemeral rivers. Only the rivers on the northern and southem borders are perermial rivers. ((Most of the waterused byNamibians comes from groundwater BourteS. Bulk wa epidded to towns and water schemes by Department of WaterAffalrs. 40% of r 1qf~wateris suppiled from surface water (mainly dams on ephemeral rivers). 60% of ~ ~s,bi~llçsvatercomes from groundwat~4~owever.ifrural and bulk water are ~ombin41.~t~ie~i ~O~c’f N~in1bIareceives Its water frdnl grôundwater. ~ü -~~‘ ~ ~_1~~ I ~~J j 0L(&Ç • ~ol~i~- Wf~~4~ x ~ x 9 ® ephemeral - refers to rivers that have temporary surface fl:w only after enough ram has fai!en ([) floodplain - area next to river which is flood~dperiodicaily resulting in a vegetated plan ([) groundwater - water occurring naturally beneath the surface of the land ® lagoon - shaJlow saitwater take usually formed when a river is cut 0ff from fiowing directly ~ntothe sea (~)overgrazing - aliowing too many animals to graze in one ajea, thus damaging the soil and future plant growth and causing soil erosion ~ perennial - refers to rivers that how above the ground all year round (~)reservoir - storage of fresh water either in a 1.ank or a dam ® aquifer - underground rock or sand in which groundwater is found alluvial aquifers occur under rivers and are usually refihled by the rivers artesian aqulfers occur where water rises out of the ground under pressure (~Jborehole - hole drifled into the earth in order to pump Out water catchment area - area from which rainfail drains into a particular river (~3confluence - the meeting oftwo rivers dam - barrier built across a river to hold back and store water deforestation - removal of natural trees from an area without replanting delta - the mouth or end of a river where it divides into several streams and enters the sea or a lagoon runoif - water from ram that runs into streams, lakes or rivers soil erosion - loss of fertile topsoil by the action of water or wind source - the beginning point of a river, usuaily in mountains ® tributary - a smaller river which fiows into a Iarger nver water tabie - the level of groundwater, below which the soli spaces are fihled with water well - hole dug into ground in order to get access to water (~)wetland - area that stays flooded most of the year and supports plants and animais which are adapted to watery places THE OSHANA ,J ANGOLA t-, t — — 1 c ‘t / / — --# epliemei*1 rivers pereflnI~Idver~ 1ian~upinoti (Yertho~s.Ho9doyou think 1 got there from Angola? 2 Where does the water come from? The Cuvelal River (or Oshana Cuvelal) rises In the Serra Encoco mountains of Angola. It Is the most Water supply fact.: active river En a huge svstern of shaliow rlvers found 30% of the toLal area of this reglon on an enormous flat plain. partly In Angola and partly served bysurface water suppiled En Namibla. These shallow rlvers. called oshanas. by cana] and plpellne from the spread out In Angola to fom~a large ephemeral river Kunene River. 70% of the area geLs Its water from system. Uien come together In Namibla at Lake the groundwater resources. Oponono. whlch In turn drains mb Etosha Pan. Yet 70% of the populadon gets When there are good rains En the source area, the water from the surface water In oshanas rna~’flow for many rnonLhs. somedmes even canals and pipeilnes. reachix~gEtosha Pan. Major floods from Angola or 30% of the population gets h.s water from the ground. from heavy local rains are called efundja. and change the great dr plain Into an endless network ofJolnlng wacerwavs. SUCI-i efundja do not occur evefl’ year. In fact floodwaters on]v reach Lake Oponono about twice En three vears. The last big [lood that filled Etosha Paji was In 1954. The area that gets Its water from this reglon Is one of the most densely populated areas In Narnibla: more Lhan 25% of all Narnlblan people Live En the Oshana Water Reglon. Because of all these people and thelr aninials. the ephemeral oshana svstern oflen does not supplv enough water. especiallv In clrv years. Much of the ram water In this semi-and area evapo- rates. and storage of water Is dlfficult In such flat country. There Is underground water. bul most of It Is verv bracklsh. that Is. too saltv to drink. It has becorne necessarv to Import water from the Kuriene River to provide water for all these peopleIsee also secrion on Kunerie Water Regloiil. Most of the water used In Uie Oshana Water Reglon actually comes En canais and pipes Erom the Ca]ueque Dam on the Kunene River In Angola. Special agreernenLs between ihe governrnenLs of Angola and Narnibla led o the buIJcI1i~gof the Calueque Dam and Ruacana hyclro-el.ectric scheme, whlch provide water and eleculcltv to Narnibla. (Hydro-electrlc scfleme . water is drveiled trom a river oi dam and piped Ihrough tuibines at great speed These turbines then (~nerateeleciricily trom the water power 3 How do the peopie In the area getthelr water? Groundwater In the Oshana Water Reglon, groundwater takes two forms. A deep saline (salty) aqulfer iles under most of the area, and above this are pockets of fresh water (called percheci aqulfers) whlch OCCLu~where ram water seeps through the sand and Is trapped between the heavler sailne water and the surface. The people In rural areas dig Into the fresh groundwater aqulfer ~ + R A~N F~LL by hand, making round weils 4; called omifima. Water Is taken out In buckets. There are problems 1f the sandy sides of thewell collapse or 1fthe water table gets too 10w. Then new -. -‘ - or deeper weils have to be dug, ~:~ ER.E~H ~ATE~~I-, - and the deeper weils may have :~_~‘~ -~~---~:~ :~2’~salinewater Ifomiftmaarenot i~~ XX ~ ~‘ 1 ~ ,- fenced off, there may be health ~ ~P.LT WATER1~~ ~ s ~ problems caused by domestic ______________________________ anlinals and people polluting Find the weils on this dIa~amand say whether the water. Boreholes are also the water would be saline or fresh, and why. being used In some areas. Surface water Surface water Is avallable during the suminer months when there Is enough rainfail to make the oshanas 110w and the hand-dug earth dams In the oshanas f111 up. The quallty of fresh surface water Is good to start willi. But as the water evaporates. the saits In It get left behind and become concentrated. Saits are also drawn from below the surface and make the fresh water salty. This means that people can only depend on surface waiter for part of the year and often have to move to other water sources In the dry rnonths. —~------_ 4 Water supply scheme Because the populatlon In this area has been Increaslng so rapldly, a water supply scheme had to be developed to bring more water to the people In this regton. As the Kunene River is the nearest source ofperennial water, ahuge Government scheme has been designed to bring wateralong canals and pipes from the Calueque Dam to the main towns and Irrigatlon projeets In the OshanaWater Reglon. Outlets from the pipes and canals also supply many rural communitles wlth water. Usirtg this diagram, explain how people bv~ngIn Ondangwa , or your home area, gat their water. 1 Ar*.iGoL~A1 Onar~~i~ut~L From the Calueque Dam water Is purnped Into a canal and transferred to the Oshana Etaka and Into the Olushandja Dam. This unlque dam has a dam wall at eachendbecause the land Issoflat. It Is 19 kilometres long and 4 metres deep when full. Water is purified (cleaned) then pumped Into a pipelinethat transports Itto the larger urban centres. Anopen canal has also been built from the Olushandja Dam and ends at Oshakati. The purposeofthis canal is to collectand channel flood water in the ralny season towards the main centres of Oshakati and Ondangwa as well as to carry water to these centres that Is pumped from the Calueque Dam.