Free tools · Measured from space
Surface water in KwaZulu-Natal
In 2025, KwaZulu-Natal had 1,842 km² of open water on average, 1,275 km² of it nearly all year. The wettest year since 1984 was 1996 (2,157 km²); the driest 2016 (1,431 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
- 1,842 km²Water on average2.0% of the land; 98% of the 1991 to 2020 average (1,878 km²)
- 1,275 km²PermanentWater in more than 80% of the clear looks
- 1,944 km²SeasonalWet at least once, but not most of the year
- 76%Of the place seenThe share with at least one clear look
The wettest and driest years
- 1996Wettest, 2,157 km²3,275 km² wet at some point
- 2016Driest, 1,431 km²863 km² permanent
Among the 38 years in which at least 90% as much of the place was seen as in its best year (3 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 | 1,530 km² on average, 1,438 km² permanent |
| 1985 | 341 km² on average, 322 km² permanent |
| 1986 | 1,820 km² on average, 1,763 km² permanent |
| 1987 | 1,931 km² on average, 1,806 km² permanent |
| 1988 | not held |
| 1989 | 2,035 km² on average, 1,835 km² permanent |
| 1990 | 2,068 km² on average, 1,841 km² permanent |
| 1991 | 2,146 km² on average, 1,918 km² permanent |
| 1992 | 389 km² on average, 274 km² permanent |
| 1993 | 1,880 km² on average, 1,698 km² permanent |
| 1994 | 2,031 km² on average, 1,775 km² permanent |
| 1995 | 1,907 km² on average, 1,605 km² permanent |
| 1996 | 2,157 km² on average, 1,810 km² permanent |
| 1997 | 2,143 km² on average, 1,870 km² permanent |
| 1998 | 2,073 km² on average, 1,916 km² permanent |
| 1999 | 2,044 km² on average, 1,896 km² permanent |
| 2000 | 2,155 km² on average, 1,922 km² permanent |
| 2001 | 2,058 km² on average, 1,932 km² permanent |
| 2002 | 2,060 km² on average, 1,956 km² permanent |
| 2003 | 1,866 km² on average, 1,643 km² permanent |
| 2004 | 1,919 km² on average, 1,716 km² permanent |
| 2005 | 1,824 km² on average, 1,633 km² permanent |
| 2006 | 1,787 km² on average, 1,605 km² permanent |
| 2007 | 1,984 km² on average, 1,833 km² permanent |
| 2008 | 1,962 km² on average, 1,828 km² permanent |
| 2009 | 1,930 km² on average, 1,739 km² permanent |
| 2010 | 1,834 km² on average, 1,664 km² permanent |
| 2011 | 1,941 km² on average, 1,765 km² permanent |
| 2012 | 1,928 km² on average, 1,755 km² permanent |
| 2013 | 1,967 km² on average, 1,824 km² permanent |
| 2014 | 1,931 km² on average, 1,782 km² permanent |
| 2015 | 1,691 km² on average, 1,336 km² permanent |
| 2016 | 1,431 km² on average, 863 km² permanent |
| 2017 | 1,752 km² on average, 1,454 km² permanent |
| 2018 | 1,851 km² on average, 1,631 km² permanent |
| 2019 | 1,867 km² on average, 1,718 km² permanent |
| 2020 | 1,845 km² on average, 1,662 km² permanent |
| 2021 | 1,910 km² on average, 1,643 km² permanent |
| 2022 | 1,979 km² on average, 1,300 km² permanent |
| 2023 | 1,890 km² on average, 1,247 km² permanent |
| 2024 | 1,676 km² on average, 1,129 km² permanent |
| 2025 | 1,842 km² on average, 1,275 km² permanent |
| Year | Water on average | Permanent | Seasonal | Wet at some point | Seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,842 km² | 1,275 km² | 1,944 km² | 3,219 km² | 76% |
| 2024 | 1,676 km² | 1,129 km² | 1,803 km² | 2,932 km² | 76% |
| 2023 | 1,890 km² | 1,247 km² | 3,961 km² | 5,207 km² | 76% |
| 2022 | 1,979 km² | 1,300 km² | 5,432 km² | 6,732 km² | 76% |
| 2021 | 1,910 km² | 1,643 km² | 1,486 km² | 3,129 km² | 76% |
| 2020 | 1,845 km² | 1,662 km² | 1,184 km² | 2,846 km² | 76% |
| 2019 | 1,867 km² | 1,718 km² | 903 km² | 2,621 km² | 76% |
| 2018 | 1,851 km² | 1,631 km² | 1,320 km² | 2,951 km² | 76% |
| 2017 | 1,752 km² | 1,454 km² | 1,273 km² | 2,727 km² | 76% |
| 2016 | 1,431 km² | 863 km² | 1,641 km² | 2,504 km² | 76% |
| 2015 | 1,691 km² | 1,336 km² | 1,573 km² | 2,908 km² | 76% |
| 2014 | 1,931 km² | 1,782 km² | 877 km² | 2,659 km² | 76% |
| 2013 | 1,967 km² | 1,824 km² | 799 km² | 2,623 km² | 76% |
| 2012 | 1,928 km² | 1,755 km² | 728 km² | 2,483 km² | 76% |
| 2011 | 1,941 km² | 1,765 km² | 546 km² | 2,311 km² | 76% |
| 2010 | 1,834 km² | 1,664 km² | 541 km² | 2,204 km² | 76% |
| 2009 | 1,930 km² | 1,739 km² | 654 km² | 2,393 km² | 76% |
| 2008 | 1,962 km² | 1,828 km² | 642 km² | 2,470 km² | 76% |
| 2007 | 1,984 km² | 1,833 km² | 856 km² | 2,689 km² | 76% |
| 2006 | 1,787 km² | 1,605 km² | 1,109 km² | 2,714 km² | 76% |
| 2005 | 1,824 km² | 1,633 km² | 801 km² | 2,434 km² | 76% |
| 2004 | 1,919 km² | 1,716 km² | 952 km² | 2,668 km² | 76% |
| 2003 | 1,866 km² | 1,643 km² | 484 km² | 2,127 km² | 76% |
| 2002 | 2,060 km² | 1,956 km² | 440 km² | 2,395 km² | 76% |
| 2001 | 2,058 km² | 1,932 km² | 545 km² | 2,478 km² | 76% |
| 2000 | 2,155 km² | 1,922 km² | 1,034 km² | 2,956 km² | 76% |
| 1999 | 2,044 km² | 1,896 km² | 712 km² | 2,608 km² | 76% |
| 1998 | 2,073 km² | 1,916 km² | 971 km² | 2,887 km² | 76% |
| 1997 | 2,143 km² | 1,870 km² | 1,135 km² | 3,005 km² | 76% |
| 1996 | 2,157 km² | 1,810 km² | 1,465 km² | 3,275 km² | 76% |
| 1995 | 1,907 km² | 1,605 km² | 1,290 km² | 2,895 km² | 76% |
| 1994 | 2,031 km² | 1,775 km² | 1,185 km² | 2,960 km² | 76% |
| 1993 | 1,880 km² | 1,698 km² | 703 km² | 2,401 km² | 76% |
| 1992 | 389 km² | 274 km² | 356 km² | 629 km² | 63% |
| 1991 | 2,146 km² | 1,918 km² | 1,577 km² | 3,495 km² | 76% |
| 1990 | 2,068 km² | 1,841 km² | 924 km² | 2,766 km² | 76% |
| 1989 | 2,035 km² | 1,835 km² | 591 km² | 2,426 km² | 76% |
| 1987 | 1,931 km² | 1,806 km² | 241 km² | 2,048 km² | 73% |
| 1986 | 1,820 km² | 1,763 km² | 149 km² | 1,912 km² | 50% |
| 1985 | 341 km² | 322 km² | 37.4 km² | 359 km² | 48% |
| 1984 | 1,530 km² | 1,438 km² | 206 km² | 1,644 km² | 74% |
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 · 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.