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Surface water in Ward 12, Witzenberg
In 2025, Ward 12, Witzenberg had 15.5 km² of open water on average, 9.08 km² of it nearly all year. The wettest year since 1984 was 2023 (27.4 km²); the driest 2004 (5.54 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
- 15.5 km²Water on average0.24% of the land; 110% of the 1991 to 2020 average (14.0 km²)
- 9.08 km²PermanentWater in more than 80% of the clear looks
- 197 km²SeasonalWet at least once, but not most of the year
- 86%Of the place seenThe share with at least one clear look
The wettest and driest years
- 2023Wettest, 27.4 km²602 km² wet at some point
- 2004Driest, 5.54 km²1.73 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 | 17.2 km² on average, 10.8 km² permanent |
| 1985 | 8.59 km² on average, 8.59 km² permanent |
| 1986 | 11.0 km² on average, 9.40 km² permanent |
| 1987 | 7.48 km² on average, 5.43 km² permanent |
| 1988 | not held |
| 1989 | 15.3 km² on average, 5.12 km² permanent |
| 1990 | 18.6 km² on average, 5.45 km² permanent |
| 1991 | 23.0 km² on average, 5.79 km² permanent |
| 1992 | 20.8 km² on average, 8.70 km² permanent |
| 1993 | 20.5 km² on average, 6.54 km² permanent |
| 1994 | 12.7 km² on average, 4.11 km² permanent |
| 1995 | 11.8 km² on average, 3.04 km² permanent |
| 1996 | 19.7 km² on average, 5.93 km² permanent |
| 1997 | 17.1 km² on average, 9.72 km² permanent |
| 1998 | 11.2 km² on average, 7.15 km² permanent |
| 1999 | 9.52 km² on average, 4.52 km² permanent |
| 2000 | 12.1 km² on average, 4.64 km² permanent |
| 2001 | 11.7 km² on average, 2.75 km² permanent |
| 2002 | 11.6 km² on average, 7.24 km² permanent |
| 2003 | 9.57 km² on average, 4.74 km² permanent |
| 2004 | 5.54 km² on average, 1.73 km² permanent |
| 2005 | 14.5 km² on average, 1.57 km² permanent |
| 2006 | 15.9 km² on average, 4.34 km² permanent |
| 2007 | 15.9 km² on average, 7.94 km² permanent |
| 2008 | 20.0 km² on average, 12.1 km² permanent |
| 2009 | 21.1 km² on average, 11.5 km² permanent |
| 2010 | 12.7 km² on average, 8.43 km² permanent |
| 2011 | 14.0 km² on average, 5.44 km² permanent |
| 2012 | 11.3 km² on average, 6.85 km² permanent |
| 2013 | 16.3 km² on average, 7.72 km² permanent |
| 2014 | 17.7 km² on average, 10.6 km² permanent |
| 2015 | 13.4 km² on average, 7.20 km² permanent |
| 2016 | 12.5 km² on average, 5.53 km² permanent |
| 2017 | 9.54 km² on average, 4.43 km² permanent |
| 2018 | 12.0 km² on average, 2.93 km² permanent |
| 2019 | 7.95 km² on average, 3.35 km² permanent |
| 2020 | 9.07 km² on average, 1.93 km² permanent |
| 2021 | 15.9 km² on average, 3.91 km² permanent |
| 2022 | 15.3 km² on average, 6.01 km² permanent |
| 2023 | 27.4 km² on average, 12.4 km² permanent |
| 2024 | 24.4 km² on average, 11.3 km² permanent |
| 2025 | 15.5 km² on average, 9.08 km² permanent |
| Year | Water on average | Permanent | Seasonal | Wet at some point | Seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 15.5 km² | 9.08 km² | 197 km² | 206 km² | 86% |
| 2024 | 24.4 km² | 11.3 km² | 433 km² | 444 km² | 86% |
| 2023 | 27.4 km² | 12.4 km² | 589 km² | 602 km² | 86% |
| 2022 | 15.3 km² | 6.01 km² | 375 km² | 381 km² | 86% |
| 2021 | 15.9 km² | 3.91 km² | 378 km² | 382 km² | 86% |
| 2020 | 9.07 km² | 1.93 km² | 189 km² | 191 km² | 86% |
| 2019 | 7.95 km² | 3.35 km² | 134 km² | 138 km² | 86% |
| 2018 | 12.0 km² | 2.93 km² | 258 km² | 261 km² | 86% |
| 2017 | 9.54 km² | 4.43 km² | 206 km² | 211 km² | 86% |
| 2016 | 12.5 km² | 5.53 km² | 158 km² | 164 km² | 86% |
| 2015 | 13.4 km² | 7.20 km² | 137 km² | 144 km² | 86% |
| 2014 | 17.7 km² | 10.6 km² | 169 km² | 179 km² | 86% |
| 2013 | 16.3 km² | 7.72 km² | 117 km² | 125 km² | 86% |
| 2012 | 11.3 km² | 6.85 km² | 24.1 km² | 31.0 km² | 86% |
| 2011 | 14.0 km² | 5.44 km² | 82.6 km² | 88.0 km² | 86% |
| 2010 | 12.7 km² | 8.43 km² | 31.7 km² | 40.2 km² | 86% |
| 2009 | 21.1 km² | 11.5 km² | 81.6 km² | 93.0 km² | 86% |
| 2008 | 20.0 km² | 12.1 km² | 57.5 km² | 69.6 km² | 86% |
| 2007 | 15.9 km² | 7.94 km² | 61.3 km² | 69.2 km² | 86% |
| 2006 | 15.9 km² | 4.34 km² | 99.0 km² | 103 km² | 86% |
| 2005 | 14.5 km² | 1.57 km² | 188 km² | 190 km² | 86% |
| 2004 | 5.54 km² | 1.73 km² | 31.7 km² | 33.4 km² | 86% |
| 2003 | 9.57 km² | 4.74 km² | 32.5 km² | 37.3 km² | 86% |
| 2002 | 11.6 km² | 7.24 km² | 25.8 km² | 33.1 km² | 86% |
| 2001 | 11.7 km² | 2.75 km² | 60.0 km² | 62.7 km² | 86% |
| 2000 | 12.1 km² | 4.64 km² | 67.1 km² | 71.8 km² | 86% |
| 1999 | 9.52 km² | 4.52 km² | 35.1 km² | 39.6 km² | 86% |
| 1998 | 11.2 km² | 7.15 km² | 28.4 km² | 35.6 km² | 86% |
| 1997 | 17.1 km² | 9.72 km² | 52.1 km² | 61.8 km² | 86% |
| 1996 | 19.7 km² | 5.93 km² | 135 km² | 141 km² | 86% |
| 1995 | 11.8 km² | 3.04 km² | 96.2 km² | 99.3 km² | 86% |
| 1994 | 12.7 km² | 4.11 km² | 50.9 km² | 55.0 km² | 85% |
| 1993 | 20.5 km² | 6.54 km² | 166 km² | 173 km² | 86% |
| 1992 | 20.8 km² | 8.70 km² | 148 km² | 156 km² | 86% |
| 1991 | 23.0 km² | 5.79 km² | 176 km² | 182 km² | 86% |
| 1990 | 18.6 km² | 5.45 km² | 117 km² | 123 km² | 86% |
| 1989 | 15.3 km² | 5.12 km² | 119 km² | 124 km² | 86% |
| 1987 | 7.48 km² | 5.43 km² | 4.28 km² | 9.71 km² | 85% |
| 1986 | 11.0 km² | 9.40 km² | 3.90 km² | 13.3 km² | 86% |
| 1985 | 8.59 km² | 8.59 km² | none | 8.59 km² | 63% |
| 1984 | 17.2 km² | 10.8 km² | 23.7 km² | 34.5 km² | 85% |
A year missing from the table is one Digital Earth Africa does not have for this place (1988 everywhere, 1985 in some places).
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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.