The Status Of Surface Chemical Water Resource Quality In South Africa

The monitoring and assessment of the quality of water resources is critically important for the determination of their fitness-for-use for various water-user sectors. An extensive national chemical water-quality-monitoring programme (NCMP), operated by the South African Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, has been in existence since the 1970s. Samples for this programme are collected at frequent intervals at monitoring stations across the country and are analysed at the Department's laboratories for nutrients and a range of inorganic and physical variables. The data generated by the national chemical water-quality-monitoring programme was used to provide information on the status of the chemical water quality of the nation's surface waters to water-resource man