Table
Mountain
Facts
In Numbers
There are currently seven dams in and around Cape Town supplying water to the metro. Further, the Table Mountain water source area only supplies the City with 1.6% of its water.
Size: 45 943 ha
Spanning only 45 943 hectares, Table Mountain water source area is the smallest of South Africa’s 22 water source areas.
Main Rivers
The Hout and Diep rivers are the main rivers which flow from Table Mountain water source area
Did You Know?
- CAMISSA, meaning ‘the place of sweet waters’ is the ancient Khoi name for Cape Town.
- Cape Town was established as a port city and a trade route centuries ago because of the availability of clean drinking water from Table Mountain.
- The Table Mountain National Park is home to a whopping 8 200 plant species (80% fynbos).
- The Table Mountain National Park receives approximately 4.2 million visitors each year and is the most visited of all SA’s National Parks. Over a period of six years, it contributed R377 million to SA’s Gross Domestic Product.
Threats
Land Use (in %)
- Mining 0.71%
- Wetlands 1.94%
- Urban 45.48%
- Cultivation (irrigated) 0.97%
- Waterbodies 1.82%
- Plantation/Woodlot 1.97%
- Cultivation (dryland) 1.3%
- Natural 45.81%
39% Protected Areas
Despite its iconic significance, only 39% of the Table Mountain water source area is protected. This includes the Table Mountain National Park and three local nature reserves.
- 1
- 3
Threat Status
- River Ecosystems
- Wetland Ecosystems
River Ecosystems
Less than half of this water source remains in its natural condition. Further, 40% of river ecosystems in the Table Mountain water source area are critically endangered.
- 40% Critically Endangered
- 60% Least Threatened
Wetland Ecosystems
A shocking 75% of wetland ecosystems within the Table Mountain water source area are critically endangered.
- 75% Critically Endangered
- 1% Endangered
- 1% Vulnerable
- 24% Least Threatened
LAND-USE PLANNING TOOLS TO SECURE AN URBAN NATURAL WONDER
The Table Mountain water source area is an iconic natural wonder and a global tourism hot-spot. Nevertheless, urban development covers 45% of this water source area and only 39% is legally protected. With this in mind, consider potential municipal spatial and land-use planning tools that could protect this water source area.
Interactive Map
South Africa has 22 water source areas spread across five provinces (KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Limpopo). The total size of our water source areas is 12.32 million hectares. A number of these areas extend and are shared with Lesotho and Swaziland; approximately 1.91 million hectares in Lesotho and 0.93 million hectares in Swaziland.
The total volume of water supplied by these areas per year is approximately 2 457 million cubic metres. The greatest volume of recharge is generated by the Southern Drakensberg, followed by the Eastern Cape Drakensberg and the Boland Mountains.
- Boland Mountains
- Groot Winterhoek
- Table Mountain
- Langeberg
- Swartberg
- Kouga
- Outeniqua
- Soutpansberg
- Wolkberg
- Tsitsikamma
- Waterberg
- Amatole
- Eastern Cape Drakensberg
- Maloti Drakensberg
- Mfolozi Headwaters
- Southern Drakensberg
- Northern Drakensberg
- Mpumalanga Drakensberg
- Mbanane Hills
- Enkangala Drakensberg
- Upper Vaal
- Upper Usutu