Effective monitoring systems for sustainable rural groundwater supply

A three-year research project in groundwater is currently being carried out in rural villages of three provinces in South Africa with the support of the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) and the Norwegian funding agency NORAD. This paper covers the latest findings from the field studies that are being carried out, both in terms of groundwater monitoring methodologies and also institutional frameworks. It also makes recommendations for effective groundwater monitoring. Two groups of villages were identified, villages responsible for running and maintaining their own water supply scheme and villages that are operated and maintained by the District Municipality. Boreholes in the former villages were driven by diesel engine and the latter are electrically driven. Problems encountered at village level are borehole infrastructure for taking water level readings and collecting water samples; payments for water supply, diesel and pump attendant salary; low level of education. Due to the lack of clarity in the roles of staff within the District Municipality difficulties in setting up communication channels were experienced. A GIS monitoring database is still under construction.