Free tools · Measured from space
Surface water in Mpumalanga
In 2025, Mpumalanga had 634 km² of open water on average, 554 km² of it nearly all year. The wettest year since 1984 was 2023 (698 km²); the driest 1992 (228 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
- 634 km²Water on average0.83% of the land; 139% of the 1991 to 2020 average (456 km²)
- 554 km²PermanentWater in more than 80% of the clear looks
- 668 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
- 2023Wettest, 698 km²4,661 km² wet at some point
- 1992Driest, 228 km²163 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 | 257 km² on average, 185 km² permanent |
| 1985 | 105 km² on average, 99.2 km² permanent |
| 1986 | 199 km² on average, 145 km² permanent |
| 1987 | 243 km² on average, 212 km² permanent |
| 1988 | not held |
| 1989 | 379 km² on average, 312 km² permanent |
| 1990 | 390 km² on average, 318 km² permanent |
| 1991 | 431 km² on average, 332 km² permanent |
| 1992 | 228 km² on average, 163 km² permanent |
| 1993 | 282 km² on average, 194 km² permanent |
| 1994 | 293 km² on average, 209 km² permanent |
| 1995 | 257 km² on average, 187 km² permanent |
| 1996 | 563 km² on average, 372 km² permanent |
| 1997 | 547 km² on average, 370 km² permanent |
| 1998 | 492 km² on average, 403 km² permanent |
| 1999 | 480 km² on average, 390 km² permanent |
| 2000 | 615 km² on average, 524 km² permanent |
| 2001 | 526 km² on average, 452 km² permanent |
| 2002 | 488 km² on average, 409 km² permanent |
| 2003 | 376 km² on average, 292 km² permanent |
| 2004 | 425 km² on average, 345 km² permanent |
| 2005 | 397 km² on average, 319 km² permanent |
| 2006 | 526 km² on average, 440 km² permanent |
| 2007 | 443 km² on average, 356 km² permanent |
| 2008 | 514 km² on average, 425 km² permanent |
| 2009 | 547 km² on average, 470 km² permanent |
| 2010 | 569 km² on average, 485 km² permanent |
| 2011 | 547 km² on average, 462 km² permanent |
| 2012 | 488 km² on average, 400 km² permanent |
| 2013 | 489 km² on average, 410 km² permanent |
| 2014 | 542 km² on average, 456 km² permanent |
| 2015 | 456 km² on average, 364 km² permanent |
| 2016 | 379 km² on average, 289 km² permanent |
| 2017 | 468 km² on average, 383 km² permanent |
| 2018 | 463 km² on average, 376 km² permanent |
| 2019 | 400 km² on average, 314 km² permanent |
| 2020 | 461 km² on average, 373 km² permanent |
| 2021 | 518 km² on average, 422 km² permanent |
| 2022 | 643 km² on average, 508 km² permanent |
| 2023 | 698 km² on average, 509 km² permanent |
| 2024 | 529 km² on average, 433 km² permanent |
| 2025 | 634 km² on average, 554 km² permanent |
| Year | Water on average | Permanent | Seasonal | Wet at some point | Seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 634 km² | 554 km² | 668 km² | 1,222 km² | 89% |
| 2024 | 529 km² | 433 km² | 1,048 km² | 1,481 km² | 90% |
| 2023 | 698 km² | 509 km² | 4,152 km² | 4,661 km² | 90% |
| 2022 | 643 km² | 508 km² | 2,359 km² | 2,867 km² | 90% |
| 2021 | 518 km² | 422 km² | 1,019 km² | 1,440 km² | 90% |
| 2020 | 461 km² | 373 km² | 758 km² | 1,131 km² | 90% |
| 2019 | 400 km² | 314 km² | 807 km² | 1,120 km² | 90% |
| 2018 | 463 km² | 376 km² | 854 km² | 1,230 km² | 90% |
| 2017 | 468 km² | 383 km² | 707 km² | 1,090 km² | 90% |
| 2016 | 379 km² | 289 km² | 849 km² | 1,137 km² | 90% |
| 2015 | 456 km² | 364 km² | 674 km² | 1,038 km² | 90% |
| 2014 | 542 km² | 456 km² | 638 km² | 1,094 km² | 90% |
| 2013 | 489 km² | 410 km² | 551 km² | 961 km² | 90% |
| 2012 | 488 km² | 400 km² | 447 km² | 846 km² | 90% |
| 2011 | 547 km² | 462 km² | 336 km² | 798 km² | 89% |
| 2010 | 569 km² | 485 km² | 376 km² | 861 km² | 90% |
| 2009 | 547 km² | 470 km² | 341 km² | 811 km² | 90% |
| 2008 | 514 km² | 425 km² | 436 km² | 862 km² | 90% |
| 2007 | 443 km² | 356 km² | 466 km² | 822 km² | 90% |
| 2006 | 526 km² | 440 km² | 523 km² | 963 km² | 90% |
| 2005 | 397 km² | 319 km² | 412 km² | 730 km² | 90% |
| 2004 | 425 km² | 345 km² | 401 km² | 746 km² | 90% |
| 2003 | 376 km² | 292 km² | 227 km² | 519 km² | 89% |
| 2002 | 488 km² | 409 km² | 351 km² | 759 km² | 90% |
| 2001 | 526 km² | 452 km² | 321 km² | 773 km² | 90% |
| 2000 | 615 km² | 524 km² | 439 km² | 963 km² | 90% |
| 1999 | 480 km² | 390 km² | 308 km² | 698 km² | 90% |
| 1998 | 492 km² | 403 km² | 460 km² | 863 km² | 89% |
| 1997 | 547 km² | 370 km² | 695 km² | 1,065 km² | 89% |
| 1996 | 563 km² | 372 km² | 769 km² | 1,141 km² | 90% |
| 1995 | 257 km² | 187 km² | 400 km² | 587 km² | 90% |
| 1994 | 293 km² | 209 km² | 334 km² | 544 km² | 90% |
| 1993 | 282 km² | 194 km² | 505 km² | 699 km² | 90% |
| 1992 | 228 km² | 163 km² | 262 km² | 425 km² | 90% |
| 1991 | 431 km² | 332 km² | 607 km² | 939 km² | 89% |
| 1990 | 390 km² | 318 km² | 345 km² | 664 km² | 89% |
| 1989 | 379 km² | 312 km² | 269 km² | 581 km² | 89% |
| 1987 | 243 km² | 212 km² | 67.2 km² | 279 km² | 81% |
| 1986 | 199 km² | 145 km² | 195 km² | 340 km² | 79% |
| 1985 | 105 km² | 99.2 km² | 11.7 km² | 111 km² | 27% |
| 1984 | 257 km² | 185 km² | 175 km² | 360 km² | 84% |
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.