A three-tier approach to protect groundwater resources in South Africa

Abstract

The quality of groundwater is affected by many activities occurring on the surface of the earth. A pro-active protection approach is required to avoid the costly and technology difficult exercise of groundwater remediation. This paper reviews various approaches for groundwater protection and documents recent developments in this field. A comprehensive protection strategy consists of many elements, ranging from the protection of entire aquifers to localized water-supply sources. A Three-tier protection concept, with the emphasis on a zoning approach, is proposed for South Africa. This will facilitate the protection of groundwater at various levels (national, regional and local) and will ensure that protection needs in the short, medium and long term are addressed.