Free tools · Measured from space
Surface water in Zululand
In 2025, Zululand had 149 km² of open water on average, 136 km² of it nearly all year. The wettest year since 1984 was 2000 (162 km²); the driest 1993 (74.7 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
- 149 km²Water on average1.0% of the land; 123% of the 1991 to 2020 average (121 km²)
- 136 km²PermanentWater in more than 80% of the clear looks
- 116 km²SeasonalWet at least once, but not most of the year
- 77%Of the place seenThe share with at least one clear look
The wettest and driest years
- 2000Wettest, 162 km²312 km² wet at some point
- 1993Driest, 74.7 km²59.8 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 | 142 km² on average, 121 km² permanent |
| 1985 | 121 km² on average, 109 km² permanent |
| 1986 | 83.7 km² on average, 82.4 km² permanent |
| 1987 | 110 km² on average, 95.7 km² permanent |
| 1988 | not held |
| 1989 | 126 km² on average, 109 km² permanent |
| 1990 | 116 km² on average, 98.8 km² permanent |
| 1991 | 129 km² on average, 104 km² permanent |
| 1992 | 85.7 km² on average, 64.3 km² permanent |
| 1993 | 74.7 km² on average, 59.8 km² permanent |
| 1994 | 110 km² on average, 87.6 km² permanent |
| 1995 | 89.0 km² on average, 73.3 km² permanent |
| 1996 | 145 km² on average, 110 km² permanent |
| 1997 | 150 km² on average, 132 km² permanent |
| 1998 | 142 km² on average, 127 km² permanent |
| 1999 | 140 km² on average, 120 km² permanent |
| 2000 | 162 km² on average, 134 km² permanent |
| 2001 | 144 km² on average, 134 km² permanent |
| 2002 | 141 km² on average, 127 km² permanent |
| 2003 | 120 km² on average, 103 km² permanent |
| 2004 | 130 km² on average, 113 km² permanent |
| 2005 | 121 km² on average, 108 km² permanent |
| 2006 | 133 km² on average, 115 km² permanent |
| 2007 | 135 km² on average, 123 km² permanent |
| 2008 | 128 km² on average, 119 km² permanent |
| 2009 | 133 km² on average, 119 km² permanent |
| 2010 | 131 km² on average, 120 km² permanent |
| 2011 | 132 km² on average, 117 km² permanent |
| 2012 | 116 km² on average, 101 km² permanent |
| 2013 | 138 km² on average, 123 km² permanent |
| 2014 | 128 km² on average, 116 km² permanent |
| 2015 | 104 km² on average, 94.8 km² permanent |
| 2016 | 89.1 km² on average, 77.9 km² permanent |
| 2017 | 93.7 km² on average, 81.7 km² permanent |
| 2018 | 101 km² on average, 85.1 km² permanent |
| 2019 | 101 km² on average, 88.7 km² permanent |
| 2020 | 97.6 km² on average, 86.6 km² permanent |
| 2021 | 113 km² on average, 101 km² permanent |
| 2022 | 161 km² on average, 125 km² permanent |
| 2023 | 147 km² on average, 126 km² permanent |
| 2024 | 134 km² on average, 121 km² permanent |
| 2025 | 149 km² on average, 136 km² permanent |
| Year | Water on average | Permanent | Seasonal | Wet at some point | Seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 149 km² | 136 km² | 116 km² | 252 km² | 77% |
| 2024 | 134 km² | 121 km² | 172 km² | 293 km² | 77% |
| 2023 | 147 km² | 126 km² | 421 km² | 547 km² | 78% |
| 2022 | 161 km² | 125 km² | 877 km² | 1,002 km² | 78% |
| 2021 | 113 km² | 101 km² | 153 km² | 254 km² | 77% |
| 2020 | 97.6 km² | 86.6 km² | 106 km² | 193 km² | 77% |
| 2019 | 101 km² | 88.7 km² | 128 km² | 217 km² | 77% |
| 2018 | 101 km² | 85.1 km² | 141 km² | 226 km² | 77% |
| 2017 | 93.7 km² | 81.7 km² | 140 km² | 221 km² | 77% |
| 2016 | 89.1 km² | 77.9 km² | 105 km² | 182 km² | 77% |
| 2015 | 104 km² | 94.8 km² | 91.8 km² | 187 km² | 77% |
| 2014 | 128 km² | 116 km² | 111 km² | 226 km² | 77% |
| 2013 | 138 km² | 123 km² | 115 km² | 238 km² | 78% |
| 2012 | 116 km² | 101 km² | 90.4 km² | 191 km² | 77% |
| 2011 | 132 km² | 117 km² | 59.2 km² | 176 km² | 77% |
| 2010 | 131 km² | 120 km² | 47.9 km² | 168 km² | 77% |
| 2009 | 133 km² | 119 km² | 47.1 km² | 166 km² | 77% |
| 2008 | 128 km² | 119 km² | 51.5 km² | 170 km² | 77% |
| 2007 | 135 km² | 123 km² | 89.4 km² | 212 km² | 77% |
| 2006 | 133 km² | 115 km² | 137 km² | 251 km² | 77% |
| 2005 | 121 km² | 108 km² | 49.3 km² | 158 km² | 77% |
| 2004 | 130 km² | 113 km² | 136 km² | 250 km² | 77% |
| 2003 | 120 km² | 103 km² | 47.9 km² | 150 km² | 77% |
| 2002 | 141 km² | 127 km² | 54.8 km² | 182 km² | 77% |
| 2001 | 144 km² | 134 km² | 53.3 km² | 187 km² | 77% |
| 2000 | 162 km² | 134 km² | 178 km² | 312 km² | 77% |
| 1999 | 140 km² | 120 km² | 86.0 km² | 206 km² | 77% |
| 1998 | 142 km² | 127 km² | 93.8 km² | 220 km² | 77% |
| 1997 | 150 km² | 132 km² | 75.3 km² | 208 km² | 77% |
| 1996 | 145 km² | 110 km² | 218 km² | 328 km² | 77% |
| 1995 | 89.0 km² | 73.3 km² | 128 km² | 201 km² | 77% |
| 1994 | 110 km² | 87.6 km² | 113 km² | 201 km² | 77% |
| 1993 | 74.7 km² | 59.8 km² | 86.8 km² | 147 km² | 77% |
| 1992 | 85.7 km² | 64.3 km² | 49.7 km² | 114 km² | 77% |
| 1991 | 129 km² | 104 km² | 225 km² | 328 km² | 77% |
| 1990 | 116 km² | 98.8 km² | 90.3 km² | 189 km² | 77% |
| 1989 | 126 km² | 109 km² | 65.5 km² | 175 km² | 77% |
| 1987 | 110 km² | 95.7 km² | 34.0 km² | 130 km² | 73% |
| 1986 | 83.7 km² | 82.4 km² | 2.71 km² | 85.1 km² | 26% |
| 1985 | 121 km² | 109 km² | 24.5 km² | 133 km² | 74% |
| 1984 | 142 km² | 121 km² | 51.1 km² | 172 km² | 73% |
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 Zululand · 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.