Free tools · Measured from space
Surface water in Walter Sisulu
In 2025, Walter Sisulu had 205 km² of open water on average, 182 km² of it nearly all year. The wettest year since 1984 was 2022 (257 km²); the driest 1993 (96.3 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
- 205 km²Water on average1.5% of the land; 113% of the 1991 to 2020 average (182 km²)
- 182 km²PermanentWater in more than 80% of the clear looks
- 191 km²SeasonalWet at least once, but not most of the year
- 89%Of the place seenThe share with at least one clear look
The wettest and driest years
- 2022Wettest, 257 km²1,068 km² wet at some point
- 1993Driest, 96.3 km²60.7 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 | 139 km² on average, 124 km² permanent |
| 1985 | 40.7 km² on average, 40.7 km² permanent |
| 1986 | 208 km² on average, 186 km² permanent |
| 1987 | 183 km² on average, 169 km² permanent |
| 1988 | not held |
| 1989 | 233 km² on average, 177 km² permanent |
| 1990 | 161 km² on average, 125 km² permanent |
| 1991 | 200 km² on average, 156 km² permanent |
| 1992 | 132 km² on average, 81.4 km² permanent |
| 1993 | 96.3 km² on average, 60.7 km² permanent |
| 1994 | 167 km² on average, 126 km² permanent |
| 1995 | 102 km² on average, 84.6 km² permanent |
| 1996 | 187 km² on average, 158 km² permanent |
| 1997 | 226 km² on average, 191 km² permanent |
| 1998 | 193 km² on average, 158 km² permanent |
| 1999 | 157 km² on average, 120 km² permanent |
| 2000 | 201 km² on average, 180 km² permanent |
| 2001 | 210 km² on average, 178 km² permanent |
| 2002 | 226 km² on average, 199 km² permanent |
| 2003 | 174 km² on average, 141 km² permanent |
| 2004 | 195 km² on average, 152 km² permanent |
| 2005 | 168 km² on average, 133 km² permanent |
| 2006 | 238 km² on average, 216 km² permanent |
| 2007 | 162 km² on average, 125 km² permanent |
| 2008 | 189 km² on average, 163 km² permanent |
| 2009 | 203 km² on average, 168 km² permanent |
| 2010 | 197 km² on average, 165 km² permanent |
| 2011 | 233 km² on average, 194 km² permanent |
| 2012 | 205 km² on average, 186 km² permanent |
| 2013 | 170 km² on average, 136 km² permanent |
| 2014 | 193 km² on average, 156 km² permanent |
| 2015 | 170 km² on average, 124 km² permanent |
| 2016 | 132 km² on average, 109 km² permanent |
| 2017 | 162 km² on average, 126 km² permanent |
| 2018 | 195 km² on average, 145 km² permanent |
| 2019 | 181 km² on average, 144 km² permanent |
| 2020 | 197 km² on average, 162 km² permanent |
| 2021 | 210 km² on average, 181 km² permanent |
| 2022 | 257 km² on average, 215 km² permanent |
| 2023 | 233 km² on average, 196 km² permanent |
| 2024 | 187 km² on average, 155 km² permanent |
| 2025 | 205 km² on average, 182 km² permanent |
| Year | Water on average | Permanent | Seasonal | Wet at some point | Seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 205 km² | 182 km² | 191 km² | 373 km² | 89% |
| 2024 | 187 km² | 155 km² | 177 km² | 333 km² | 89% |
| 2023 | 233 km² | 196 km² | 462 km² | 658 km² | 89% |
| 2022 | 257 km² | 215 km² | 852 km² | 1,068 km² | 89% |
| 2021 | 210 km² | 181 km² | 257 km² | 438 km² | 89% |
| 2020 | 197 km² | 162 km² | 171 km² | 333 km² | 89% |
| 2019 | 181 km² | 144 km² | 199 km² | 344 km² | 89% |
| 2018 | 195 km² | 145 km² | 213 km² | 358 km² | 89% |
| 2017 | 162 km² | 126 km² | 152 km² | 278 km² | 89% |
| 2016 | 132 km² | 109 km² | 188 km² | 297 km² | 89% |
| 2015 | 170 km² | 124 km² | 172 km² | 297 km² | 89% |
| 2014 | 193 km² | 156 km² | 228 km² | 384 km² | 89% |
| 2013 | 170 km² | 136 km² | 106 km² | 242 km² | 89% |
| 2012 | 205 km² | 186 km² | 73.9 km² | 260 km² | 89% |
| 2011 | 233 km² | 194 km² | 120 km² | 314 km² | 89% |
| 2010 | 197 km² | 165 km² | 107 km² | 272 km² | 89% |
| 2009 | 203 km² | 168 km² | 102 km² | 270 km² | 89% |
| 2008 | 189 km² | 163 km² | 90.5 km² | 253 km² | 89% |
| 2007 | 162 km² | 125 km² | 134 km² | 259 km² | 89% |
| 2006 | 238 km² | 216 km² | 89.9 km² | 306 km² | 89% |
| 2005 | 168 km² | 133 km² | 117 km² | 251 km² | 89% |
| 2004 | 195 km² | 152 km² | 211 km² | 363 km² | 89% |
| 2003 | 174 km² | 141 km² | 100 km² | 241 km² | 89% |
| 2002 | 226 km² | 199 km² | 109 km² | 308 km² | 89% |
| 2001 | 210 km² | 178 km² | 115 km² | 293 km² | 89% |
| 2000 | 201 km² | 180 km² | 75.4 km² | 255 km² | 89% |
| 1999 | 157 km² | 120 km² | 110 km² | 230 km² | 89% |
| 1998 | 193 km² | 158 km² | 143 km² | 301 km² | 89% |
| 1997 | 226 km² | 191 km² | 102 km² | 293 km² | 89% |
| 1996 | 187 km² | 158 km² | 112 km² | 270 km² | 89% |
| 1995 | 102 km² | 84.6 km² | 76.4 km² | 161 km² | 89% |
| 1994 | 167 km² | 126 km² | 168 km² | 294 km² | 89% |
| 1993 | 96.3 km² | 60.7 km² | 156 km² | 217 km² | 89% |
| 1992 | 132 km² | 81.4 km² | 166 km² | 247 km² | 89% |
| 1991 | 200 km² | 156 km² | 181 km² | 336 km² | 89% |
| 1990 | 161 km² | 125 km² | 173 km² | 298 km² | 89% |
| 1989 | 233 km² | 177 km² | 215 km² | 391 km² | 89% |
| 1987 | 183 km² | 169 km² | 29.9 km² | 198 km² | 89% |
| 1986 | 208 km² | 186 km² | 50.2 km² | 237 km² | 89% |
| 1985 | 40.7 km² | 40.7 km² | none | 40.7 km² | 57% |
| 1984 | 139 km² | 124 km² | 36.6 km² | 161 km² | 89% |
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 (Venterstad)
- Ward 2 (Steynsburg, Teebus)
- Ward 3 (Burgersdorp, Harmonie)
- Ward 4 (Lion Cachet, Oviston)
- Ward 5
- Ward 6 (Dukathole)
- Ward 7 (Arbor View)
- Ward 8 (Dukathole)
- Ward 9 (Maletswai)
- Ward 10 (Hilton, Joe Gqabi)
- Ward 11 (James Calata, Floukraal)
Places in each ward: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Every municipality, ranked · Everything we hold for Walter Sisulu · 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.