Free tools · Measured from space
Surface water in Umkhanyakude
In 2025, Umkhanyakude had 1,219 km² of open water on average, 754 km² of it nearly all year. The wettest year since 1984 was 1991 (1,569 km²); the driest 2016 (1,017 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
- 1,219 km²Water on average8.8% of the land; 89% of the 1991 to 2020 average (1,364 km²)
- 754 km²PermanentWater in more than 80% of the clear looks
- 945 km²SeasonalWet at least once, but not most of the year
- 92%Of the place seenThe share with at least one clear look
The wettest and driest years
- 1991Wettest, 1,569 km²1,790 km² wet at some point
- 2016Driest, 1,017 km²526 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 | 1,109 km² on average, 1,079 km² permanent |
| 1985 | 60.0 km² on average, 54.5 km² permanent |
| 1986 | 1,505 km² on average, 1,496 km² permanent |
| 1987 | 1,477 km² on average, 1,405 km² permanent |
| 1988 | not held |
| 1989 | 1,543 km² on average, 1,470 km² permanent |
| 1990 | 1,539 km² on average, 1,449 km² permanent |
| 1991 | 1,569 km² on average, 1,506 km² permanent |
| 1992 | 10.8 km² on average, 6.63 km² permanent |
| 1993 | 1,482 km² on average, 1,422 km² permanent |
| 1994 | 1,519 km² on average, 1,472 km² permanent |
| 1995 | 1,453 km² on average, 1,333 km² permanent |
| 1996 | 1,533 km² on average, 1,426 km² permanent |
| 1997 | 1,518 km² on average, 1,445 km² permanent |
| 1998 | 1,524 km² on average, 1,484 km² permanent |
| 1999 | 1,504 km² on average, 1,475 km² permanent |
| 2000 | 1,558 km² on average, 1,456 km² permanent |
| 2001 | 1,516 km² on average, 1,479 km² permanent |
| 2002 | 1,514 km² on average, 1,494 km² permanent |
| 2003 | 1,396 km² on average, 1,262 km² permanent |
| 2004 | 1,411 km² on average, 1,307 km² permanent |
| 2005 | 1,310 km² on average, 1,215 km² permanent |
| 2006 | 1,238 km² on average, 1,159 km² permanent |
| 2007 | 1,458 km² on average, 1,403 km² permanent |
| 2008 | 1,446 km² on average, 1,406 km² permanent |
| 2009 | 1,375 km² on average, 1,282 km² permanent |
| 2010 | 1,327 km² on average, 1,234 km² permanent |
| 2011 | 1,405 km² on average, 1,317 km² permanent |
| 2012 | 1,410 km² on average, 1,333 km² permanent |
| 2013 | 1,415 km² on average, 1,356 km² permanent |
| 2014 | 1,406 km² on average, 1,342 km² permanent |
| 2015 | 1,218 km² on average, 956 km² permanent |
| 2016 | 1,017 km² on average, 526 km² permanent |
| 2017 | 1,285 km² on average, 1,077 km² permanent |
| 2018 | 1,353 km² on average, 1,234 km² permanent |
| 2019 | 1,397 km² on average, 1,334 km² permanent |
| 2020 | 1,359 km² on average, 1,265 km² permanent |
| 2021 | 1,386 km² on average, 1,211 km² permanent |
| 2022 | 1,301 km² on average, 805 km² permanent |
| 2023 | 1,252 km² on average, 759 km² permanent |
| 2024 | 1,112 km² on average, 651 km² permanent |
| 2025 | 1,219 km² on average, 754 km² permanent |
| Year | Water on average | Permanent | Seasonal | Wet at some point | Seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,219 km² | 754 km² | 945 km² | 1,699 km² | 92% |
| 2024 | 1,112 km² | 651 km² | 1,001 km² | 1,652 km² | 92% |
| 2023 | 1,252 km² | 759 km² | 1,216 km² | 1,975 km² | 92% |
| 2022 | 1,301 km² | 805 km² | 1,930 km² | 2,734 km² | 92% |
| 2021 | 1,386 km² | 1,211 km² | 515 km² | 1,725 km² | 92% |
| 2020 | 1,359 km² | 1,265 km² | 321 km² | 1,587 km² | 92% |
| 2019 | 1,397 km² | 1,334 km² | 241 km² | 1,575 km² | 92% |
| 2018 | 1,353 km² | 1,234 km² | 335 km² | 1,570 km² | 92% |
| 2017 | 1,285 km² | 1,077 km² | 480 km² | 1,557 km² | 92% |
| 2016 | 1,017 km² | 526 km² | 999 km² | 1,524 km² | 92% |
| 2015 | 1,218 km² | 956 km² | 583 km² | 1,539 km² | 92% |
| 2014 | 1,406 km² | 1,342 km² | 274 km² | 1,616 km² | 92% |
| 2013 | 1,415 km² | 1,356 km² | 256 km² | 1,612 km² | 92% |
| 2012 | 1,410 km² | 1,333 km² | 252 km² | 1,585 km² | 92% |
| 2011 | 1,405 km² | 1,317 km² | 194 km² | 1,511 km² | 91% |
| 2010 | 1,327 km² | 1,234 km² | 221 km² | 1,455 km² | 92% |
| 2009 | 1,375 km² | 1,282 km² | 191 km² | 1,473 km² | 92% |
| 2008 | 1,446 km² | 1,406 km² | 145 km² | 1,552 km² | 92% |
| 2007 | 1,458 km² | 1,403 km² | 203 km² | 1,605 km² | 92% |
| 2006 | 1,238 km² | 1,159 km² | 393 km² | 1,551 km² | 92% |
| 2005 | 1,310 km² | 1,215 km² | 273 km² | 1,488 km² | 92% |
| 2004 | 1,411 km² | 1,307 km² | 307 km² | 1,615 km² | 92% |
| 2003 | 1,396 km² | 1,262 km² | 245 km² | 1,508 km² | 92% |
| 2002 | 1,514 km² | 1,494 km² | 96.9 km² | 1,591 km² | 92% |
| 2001 | 1,516 km² | 1,479 km² | 153 km² | 1,632 km² | 92% |
| 2000 | 1,558 km² | 1,456 km² | 315 km² | 1,771 km² | 92% |
| 1999 | 1,504 km² | 1,475 km² | 184 km² | 1,659 km² | 92% |
| 1998 | 1,524 km² | 1,484 km² | 232 km² | 1,715 km² | 92% |
| 1997 | 1,518 km² | 1,445 km² | 165 km² | 1,609 km² | 92% |
| 1996 | 1,533 km² | 1,426 km² | 319 km² | 1,744 km² | 92% |
| 1995 | 1,453 km² | 1,333 km² | 323 km² | 1,656 km² | 92% |
| 1994 | 1,519 km² | 1,472 km² | 184 km² | 1,657 km² | 92% |
| 1993 | 1,482 km² | 1,422 km² | 149 km² | 1,571 km² | 92% |
| 1992 | 10.8 km² | 6.63 km² | 10.0 km² | 16.7 km² | 15% |
| 1991 | 1,569 km² | 1,506 km² | 284 km² | 1,790 km² | 92% |
| 1990 | 1,539 km² | 1,449 km² | 277 km² | 1,726 km² | 92% |
| 1989 | 1,543 km² | 1,470 km² | 181 km² | 1,651 km² | 92% |
| 1987 | 1,477 km² | 1,405 km² | 125 km² | 1,531 km² | 91% |
| 1986 | 1,505 km² | 1,496 km² | 18.8 km² | 1,514 km² | 92% |
| 1985 | 60.0 km² | 54.5 km² | 11.1 km² | 65.6 km² | 17% |
| 1984 | 1,109 km² | 1,079 km² | 64.1 km² | 1,143 km² | 88% |
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 Umkhanyakude · 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.