Free tools · Measured from space
Surface water in Laingsburg
In 2025, Laingsburg had 13.3 km² of open water on average, 5.43 km² of it nearly all year. The wettest year since 1984 was 1996 (37.7 km²); the driest 2017 (5.53 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
- 13.3 km²Water on average0.15% of the land; 97% of the 1991 to 2020 average (13.7 km²)
- 5.43 km²PermanentWater in more than 80% of the clear looks
- 295 km²SeasonalWet at least once, but not most of the year
- 73%Of the place seenThe share with at least one clear look
The wettest and driest years
- 1996Wettest, 37.7 km²411 km² wet at some point
- 2017Driest, 5.53 km²1.15 km² permanent
Among the 40 years in which at least 90% as much of the place was seen as in its best year (1 less well seen year is left out), so a cloudy year cannot pass for a dry one.
Every year since 1984
Show the numbers
| When or what | Figure |
|---|---|
| 1984 | 13.4 km² on average, 6.58 km² permanent |
| 1985 | none on average, none permanent |
| 1986 | 8.05 km² on average, 6.53 km² permanent |
| 1987 | 6.69 km² on average, 6.02 km² permanent |
| 1988 | not held |
| 1989 | 23.5 km² on average, 4.20 km² permanent |
| 1990 | 20.5 km² on average, 6.40 km² permanent |
| 1991 | 15.3 km² on average, 4.14 km² permanent |
| 1992 | 7.81 km² on average, 3.23 km² permanent |
| 1993 | 13.2 km² on average, 0.40 km² permanent |
| 1994 | 12.8 km² on average, 1.36 km² permanent |
| 1995 | 15.7 km² on average, 0.27 km² permanent |
| 1996 | 37.7 km² on average, 5.42 km² permanent |
| 1997 | 16.4 km² on average, 8.15 km² permanent |
| 1998 | 9.02 km² on average, 5.82 km² permanent |
| 1999 | 8.49 km² on average, 2.67 km² permanent |
| 2000 | 19.6 km² on average, 7.31 km² permanent |
| 2001 | 9.82 km² on average, 5.99 km² permanent |
| 2002 | 8.58 km² on average, 4.46 km² permanent |
| 2003 | 11.1 km² on average, 5.44 km² permanent |
| 2004 | 13.3 km² on average, 4.33 km² permanent |
| 2005 | 20.4 km² on average, 6.44 km² permanent |
| 2006 | 16.1 km² on average, 4.91 km² permanent |
| 2007 | 15.1 km² on average, 6.47 km² permanent |
| 2008 | 13.6 km² on average, 8.48 km² permanent |
| 2009 | 16.2 km² on average, 7.64 km² permanent |
| 2010 | 14.8 km² on average, 6.15 km² permanent |
| 2011 | 13.9 km² on average, 4.08 km² permanent |
| 2012 | 13.8 km² on average, 7.22 km² permanent |
| 2013 | 14.3 km² on average, 6.67 km² permanent |
| 2014 | 19.1 km² on average, 8.88 km² permanent |
| 2015 | 14.4 km² on average, 4.76 km² permanent |
| 2016 | 10.4 km² on average, 2.16 km² permanent |
| 2017 | 5.53 km² on average, 1.15 km² permanent |
| 2018 | 9.01 km² on average, 1.17 km² permanent |
| 2019 | 7.10 km² on average, 1.77 km² permanent |
| 2020 | 7.57 km² on average, 2.74 km² permanent |
| 2021 | 18.3 km² on average, 2.89 km² permanent |
| 2022 | 22.8 km² on average, 4.60 km² permanent |
| 2023 | 23.2 km² on average, 5.82 km² permanent |
| 2024 | 25.7 km² on average, 8.64 km² permanent |
| 2025 | 13.3 km² on average, 5.43 km² permanent |
| Year | Water on average | Permanent | Seasonal | Wet at some point | Seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 13.3 km² | 5.43 km² | 295 km² | 301 km² | 73% |
| 2024 | 25.7 km² | 8.64 km² | 615 km² | 624 km² | 73% |
| 2023 | 23.2 km² | 5.82 km² | 617 km² | 623 km² | 73% |
| 2022 | 22.8 km² | 4.60 km² | 761 km² | 766 km² | 73% |
| 2021 | 18.3 km² | 2.89 km² | 462 km² | 465 km² | 73% |
| 2020 | 7.57 km² | 2.74 km² | 150 km² | 152 km² | 73% |
| 2019 | 7.10 km² | 1.77 km² | 164 km² | 166 km² | 73% |
| 2018 | 9.01 km² | 1.17 km² | 255 km² | 257 km² | 73% |
| 2017 | 5.53 km² | 1.15 km² | 170 km² | 171 km² | 73% |
| 2016 | 10.4 km² | 2.16 km² | 269 km² | 272 km² | 73% |
| 2015 | 14.4 km² | 4.76 km² | 279 km² | 284 km² | 73% |
| 2014 | 19.1 km² | 8.88 km² | 280 km² | 289 km² | 73% |
| 2013 | 14.3 km² | 6.67 km² | 160 km² | 167 km² | 73% |
| 2012 | 13.8 km² | 7.22 km² | 74.7 km² | 81.9 km² | 73% |
| 2011 | 13.9 km² | 4.08 km² | 93.6 km² | 97.7 km² | 73% |
| 2010 | 14.8 km² | 6.15 km² | 62.4 km² | 68.6 km² | 73% |
| 2009 | 16.2 km² | 7.64 km² | 91.9 km² | 99.5 km² | 73% |
| 2008 | 13.6 km² | 8.48 km² | 54.2 km² | 62.6 km² | 73% |
| 2007 | 15.1 km² | 6.47 km² | 155 km² | 161 km² | 73% |
| 2006 | 16.1 km² | 4.91 km² | 147 km² | 152 km² | 73% |
| 2005 | 20.4 km² | 6.44 km² | 192 km² | 198 km² | 73% |
| 2004 | 13.3 km² | 4.33 km² | 93.2 km² | 97.5 km² | 73% |
| 2003 | 11.1 km² | 5.44 km² | 68.7 km² | 74.1 km² | 73% |
| 2002 | 8.58 km² | 4.46 km² | 60.2 km² | 64.7 km² | 73% |
| 2001 | 9.82 km² | 5.99 km² | 41.6 km² | 47.6 km² | 73% |
| 2000 | 19.6 km² | 7.31 km² | 143 km² | 150 km² | 73% |
| 1999 | 8.49 km² | 2.67 km² | 37.9 km² | 40.6 km² | 73% |
| 1998 | 9.02 km² | 5.82 km² | 27.0 km² | 32.9 km² | 73% |
| 1997 | 16.4 km² | 8.15 km² | 86.5 km² | 94.7 km² | 73% |
| 1996 | 37.7 km² | 5.42 km² | 405 km² | 411 km² | 73% |
| 1995 | 15.7 km² | 0.27 km² | 178 km² | 178 km² | 73% |
| 1994 | 12.8 km² | 1.36 km² | 101 km² | 102 km² | 73% |
| 1993 | 13.2 km² | 0.40 km² | 143 km² | 143 km² | 73% |
| 1992 | 7.81 km² | 3.23 km² | 41.4 km² | 44.6 km² | 73% |
| 1991 | 15.3 km² | 4.14 km² | 137 km² | 141 km² | 73% |
| 1990 | 20.5 km² | 6.40 km² | 176 km² | 183 km² | 73% |
| 1989 | 23.5 km² | 4.20 km² | 232 km² | 236 km² | 73% |
| 1987 | 6.69 km² | 6.02 km² | 1.56 km² | 7.58 km² | 73% |
| 1986 | 8.05 km² | 6.53 km² | 3.56 km² | 10.1 km² | 73% |
| 1985 | none | none | none | none | 0% |
| 1984 | 13.4 km² | 6.58 km² | 27.6 km² | 34.1 km² | 73% |
A year missing from the table is one Digital Earth Africa does not have for this place (1988 everywhere, 1985 in some places).
Each ward
- Ward 1 (Laingsburg)
- Ward 2 (Matjiesfontein, Vrede)
- Ward 3 (Laingsburg)
- Ward 4 (Laingsburg)
- Ward 5 (Laingsburg)
Places in each ward: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Every municipality, ranked · Everything we hold for Laingsburg · 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.