2.2 Water Availability in Southern Africa

Water availability in Southern Africa can be illustrated by the rainfall regime, which is generally low and highly variable. Rain falling in intense downpours often runs off into river channels as it falls faster than can be absorbed into the soil where it can recharge groundwater. Many areas, particularly in the south and west, receive very little rain (< 250 mm/year) and are subject to high temperatures and high rates of evaporation. The map below (Figure 1) shows the distribution of average annual rainfall across Southern Africa.

Figure 1 – Mean annual rainfall distribution across the Southern Africa Development Committee (SADC) region (SADC, 2007).