Free tools · Measured from space
Surface water in Chris Hani
In 2025, Chris Hani had 110 km² of open water on average, 78.3 km² of it nearly all year. The wettest year since 1984 was 2022 (153 km²); the driest 1993 (76.0 km²).
Open water seen on the ground from space: dams, lakes, rivers wide enough to see, pans, wetlands with open water and flooded fields. Each year, the Landsat satellites look at every 30 m spot many times; where the sky is clear, each look says water or not. The average water area counts each spot for the share of its clear looks that were wet. Permanent water was wet in more than 80% of the clear looks; seasonal water was wet at least once but less often than that.
What it isn’t: not how full a dam is (that is the Department of Water and Sanitation’s weekly level, by volume), not groundwater, not rain, and not water in pipes or tanks. Narrow rivers, water under trees or bridges and anything smaller than about 30 m are missed. A year with few clear looks (cloud, or the early years when fewer satellites flew) is less sure, and 1988 is missing everywhere because Digital Earth Africa does not have it: a missing year is left out, never counted as dry.
2025
- 110 km²Water on average0.30% of the land; 106% of the 1991 to 2020 average (104 km²)
- 78.3 km²PermanentWater in more than 80% of the clear looks
- 416 km²SeasonalWet at least once, but not most of the year
- 80%Of the place seenThe share with at least one clear look
The wettest and driest years
- 2022Wettest, 153 km²1,655 km² wet at some point
- 1993Driest, 76.0 km²47.2 km² permanent
Among the 39 years in which at least 90% as much of the place was seen as in its best year (2 less well seen years are left out), so a cloudy year cannot pass for a dry one.
Every year since 1984
Show the numbers
| When or what | Figure |
|---|---|
| 1984 | 73.0 km² on average, 56.5 km² permanent |
| 1985 | 65.7 km² on average, 65.7 km² permanent |
| 1986 | 106 km² on average, 88.3 km² permanent |
| 1987 | 98.7 km² on average, 89.3 km² permanent |
| 1988 | not held |
| 1989 | 148 km² on average, 95.8 km² permanent |
| 1990 | 96.1 km² on average, 59.0 km² permanent |
| 1991 | 95.9 km² on average, 62.5 km² permanent |
| 1992 | 83.7 km² on average, 55.9 km² permanent |
| 1993 | 76.0 km² on average, 47.2 km² permanent |
| 1994 | 140 km² on average, 58.9 km² permanent |
| 1995 | 82.3 km² on average, 50.6 km² permanent |
| 1996 | 104 km² on average, 57.2 km² permanent |
| 1997 | 127 km² on average, 82.3 km² permanent |
| 1998 | 108 km² on average, 65.1 km² permanent |
| 1999 | 79.6 km² on average, 57.8 km² permanent |
| 2000 | 116 km² on average, 87.1 km² permanent |
| 2001 | 101 km² on average, 76.8 km² permanent |
| 2002 | 105 km² on average, 79.1 km² permanent |
| 2003 | 80.5 km² on average, 60.8 km² permanent |
| 2004 | 145 km² on average, 78.6 km² permanent |
| 2005 | 118 km² on average, 77.6 km² permanent |
| 2006 | 119 km² on average, 90.2 km² permanent |
| 2007 | 101 km² on average, 75.8 km² permanent |
| 2008 | 122 km² on average, 77.0 km² permanent |
| 2009 | 98.5 km² on average, 67.5 km² permanent |
| 2010 | 101 km² on average, 63.3 km² permanent |
| 2011 | 130 km² on average, 84.5 km² permanent |
| 2012 | 120 km² on average, 82.8 km² permanent |
| 2013 | 91.8 km² on average, 68.5 km² permanent |
| 2014 | 113 km² on average, 78.1 km² permanent |
| 2015 | 95.4 km² on average, 70.3 km² permanent |
| 2016 | 83.6 km² on average, 58.9 km² permanent |
| 2017 | 85.9 km² on average, 64.4 km² permanent |
| 2018 | 97.8 km² on average, 63.3 km² permanent |
| 2019 | 78.9 km² on average, 54.6 km² permanent |
| 2020 | 105 km² on average, 70.1 km² permanent |
| 2021 | 110 km² on average, 68.1 km² permanent |
| 2022 | 153 km² on average, 92.0 km² permanent |
| 2023 | 148 km² on average, 98.6 km² permanent |
| 2024 | 111 km² on average, 79.9 km² permanent |
| 2025 | 110 km² on average, 78.3 km² permanent |
| Year | Water on average | Permanent | Seasonal | Wet at some point | Seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 110 km² | 78.3 km² | 416 km² | 494 km² | 80% |
| 2024 | 111 km² | 79.9 km² | 501 km² | 581 km² | 80% |
| 2023 | 148 km² | 98.6 km² | 1,042 km² | 1,140 km² | 80% |
| 2022 | 153 km² | 92.0 km² | 1,563 km² | 1,655 km² | 80% |
| 2021 | 110 km² | 68.1 km² | 884 km² | 952 km² | 80% |
| 2020 | 105 km² | 70.1 km² | 502 km² | 572 km² | 80% |
| 2019 | 78.9 km² | 54.6 km² | 351 km² | 406 km² | 80% |
| 2018 | 97.8 km² | 63.3 km² | 504 km² | 567 km² | 80% |
| 2017 | 85.9 km² | 64.4 km² | 233 km² | 298 km² | 80% |
| 2016 | 83.6 km² | 58.9 km² | 322 km² | 381 km² | 80% |
| 2015 | 95.4 km² | 70.3 km² | 231 km² | 302 km² | 80% |
| 2014 | 113 km² | 78.1 km² | 489 km² | 567 km² | 80% |
| 2013 | 91.8 km² | 68.5 km² | 227 km² | 295 km² | 80% |
| 2012 | 120 km² | 82.8 km² | 244 km² | 327 km² | 80% |
| 2011 | 130 km² | 84.5 km² | 278 km² | 363 km² | 80% |
| 2010 | 101 km² | 63.3 km² | 165 km² | 228 km² | 80% |
| 2009 | 98.5 km² | 67.5 km² | 191 km² | 258 km² | 80% |
| 2008 | 122 km² | 77.0 km² | 280 km² | 357 km² | 80% |
| 2007 | 101 km² | 75.8 km² | 180 km² | 256 km² | 80% |
| 2006 | 119 km² | 90.2 km² | 189 km² | 279 km² | 80% |
| 2005 | 118 km² | 77.6 km² | 319 km² | 397 km² | 80% |
| 2004 | 145 km² | 78.6 km² | 606 km² | 685 km² | 79% |
| 2003 | 80.5 km² | 60.8 km² | 95.6 km² | 156 km² | 80% |
| 2002 | 105 km² | 79.1 km² | 181 km² | 260 km² | 80% |
| 2001 | 101 km² | 76.8 km² | 151 km² | 227 km² | 80% |
| 2000 | 116 km² | 87.1 km² | 192 km² | 279 km² | 80% |
| 1999 | 79.6 km² | 57.8 km² | 71.7 km² | 129 km² | 80% |
| 1998 | 108 km² | 65.1 km² | 306 km² | 371 km² | 79% |
| 1997 | 127 km² | 82.3 km² | 247 km² | 329 km² | 79% |
| 1996 | 104 km² | 57.2 km² | 309 km² | 366 km² | 80% |
| 1995 | 82.3 km² | 50.6 km² | 267 km² | 318 km² | 80% |
| 1994 | 140 km² | 58.9 km² | 454 km² | 512 km² | 80% |
| 1993 | 76.0 km² | 47.2 km² | 218 km² | 265 km² | 80% |
| 1992 | 83.7 km² | 55.9 km² | 113 km² | 169 km² | 79% |
| 1991 | 95.9 km² | 62.5 km² | 248 km² | 310 km² | 79% |
| 1990 | 96.1 km² | 59.0 km² | 246 km² | 305 km² | 79% |
| 1989 | 148 km² | 95.8 km² | 370 km² | 466 km² | 80% |
| 1987 | 98.7 km² | 89.3 km² | 22.6 km² | 112 km² | 77% |
| 1986 | 106 km² | 88.3 km² | 45.8 km² | 134 km² | 79% |
| 1985 | 65.7 km² | 65.7 km² | none | 65.7 km² | 34% |
| 1984 | 73.0 km² | 56.5 km² | 55.6 km² | 112 km² | 71% |
A year missing from the table is one Digital Earth Africa does not have for this place (1988 everywhere, 1985 in some places).
Every municipality, ranked · Everything we hold for Chris Hani · On the explore map
Source
Measured from space by the American Landsat satellites: not a survey on the ground.
Credits and how we worked this out
Water Observations from Space, Digital Earth Africa (CC BY 4.0), modified: we counted each 30 m pixel over every 2026 ward and added the wards up into municipalities, districts and provinces. Under CC BY 4.0, from the AWS Registry of Open Data.
Landsat imagery courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey.
Mueller, N. and others (2016): Water observations from space: mapping surface water from 25 years of Landsat imagery across Australia, Remote Sensing of Environment 174, 341 to 352.
Dataset: surface water by ward, release of 12 November 2026.