The map below shows the distribution of transboundary river basins in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
The international basins of southern Africa.
Source: Hatfield 2010
The River Basin Approach is important as it is becoming an internationally accepted approach for Water Resources Management. Furthermore, as it is based The role of the River Basin in IWRM The role of the River Basin in IWRM The role of the RiverBasin in IWRM on the River Basin as a unit of management and many basins are transboundary, it is equally important to integrated water resources management (IWRM).
LIMPOPO RIVER BASIN
The Limpopo River basin is shared by four countries - Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe. While each of these countries may have different requirements and agendas with respect to the river, they must all cooperate to meet their objectives.
OKAVANGO RIVER BASIN
The Okavango river basin covers a hydrologically active area of approximately 323 192 km2 shared by three countries in southern Africa: Angola, Namibia and Botswana. The Okavango River is the fourth longest river system in southern Africa, running for 1,100 km from central Angola, as the Kubango, through Namibia to the Kalahari in Botswana. The river rises in the headwaters of the Cuito and Cubango tributaries in the highland plateau of Angola at an elevation of 1780 metres. It derives its principal flow from 120,000 km² of sub-humid and semiarid rangeland in Cuito-Cubango province of Angola before concentrating its flow along the margins of Namibia and Angola and finally spilling into the Okavango fan or ‘delta’ at an elevation of 980 metres. Several rivers become one as the water moves south and east, branching again when it reaches and ends in the Okavango Delta, one of the largest freshwater inland wetlands on the planet. The river delivers about 10 cubic kilometres of surface flow into the Delta system per annum.
ORANGE RIVER BASIN
The waters of the Orange Senqu River flow through four riparian states encaspulating a diverse landscape from its source in the temperate mountains of Lesotho, grasslands of South Africa and southern Botswana, to the Nama Karoo in western South Africa and southern Namibia.
The River Basin Theme of the Orange- Senqu Awareness Kit includes overview material on the biophysical environment of the basin focusing on each of the following subjects:
- Geography - focuses on the physical environment of the basin includnggeomorphology, landcover and mineral reserves.
- Climate and Weather - including principles of meteorology,climate specific to the basin and the concept of climate change.
- Hydrology - explores the balance and use of water as well the water cycle,surface and groundwater in the region with specific focus on the basin.
- Water Quality - provides an overview of the state of the waters of the basinand factors influencing this, impacts of human activities,mining and groudwater.
- Ecology and Biodiversity - including aquatic ecology and ecosytems factors affecting them, wetlands and biodiversity.
ZAMBEZI RIVER BASIN
The Zambezi River, Africa's fourth largest after the Nile, Zaire and Niger rivers, exhibits a length of 2700 kilometers prior to discharge to the Indian Ocean in Mozambique.
From headwaters in northwest Zambia, the river flows:
- southeast through a portion of eastern Angola;
- south through western Zambia;
- east along the Zambia-Namibia (Caprivi Strip) border to the junction of Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana;
- east along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe over the dramatic Victoria Falls and on to Lake Kariba
- east into Mozambique and Lake Cahora Bassa
- south west through Mozambique (where it is joined by the Shire River which drains Lake Nyaka/Lake Malawi) and on to the Indian Ocean.
