Letaba (river)
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Letaba Letabarivier, Leţaba, Lehlaba, Letaba River |
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 The Letaba in the Limpopo catchment area (center right) |
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| Data | ||
| location |
 South Africa( Limpopo Province ) |
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| River system | Limpopo | |
| Drain over | Lepelle → Limpopo → Indian Ocean | |
| source |
Soutpansberg , South Africa by the confluence of the Groot Letaba and the Klein Letaba 23 ° 38 ′ 55 ″ S , 31 ° 8 ′ 42 ″ E |
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| muzzle |
Lepelle coordinates: 23 ° 59 ′ 22 " S , 31 ° 49 ′ 36" E 23 ° 59 ′ 22 " S , 31 ° 49 ′ 36" E
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| Catchment area | 13,670 km² | |
| Left tributaries | Nharhweni, Ngwenyeni, Klein Letaba, Molototsi, Nsama | |
| Right tributaries | Groot Letaba, Nwanedzi, Makhadzi | |
 The Letaba |
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The Letaba ( Afrikaans : Letabarivier , also: Leţaba, Lehlaba, Letaba River ) is a river in the Limpopo province in South Africa . It is one of the major tributaries of the Lepelle and covers a catchment area of 13,670 km².
The name Letaba means, translated from the Sepedi , "sandy river".
River course
The Letaba finds its origin at the confluence of the Groot Letaba and the Klein Letaba . The river now called Letaba directs its further course eastwards through the Lowveld and flows into the Lepelle (which was called Olifants River until 2005 ) at the level of the foothills of the Lebombo Mountains , in the immediate vicinity of the border with Mozambique .
Topography / geology
The topography of the Letaba is uneven. In the west there are mountains up to 2000 m high, whereas in the east there are low-lying plains. The western edge applies to the northern part of the eastern foothills of the Drakensberg and the Soutpansberg , to which the Luvubu and Letaba Water Management Area in the Lowveld connects to the east . This zone is deeply cut by the largest tributaries of the Letaba.
The geology of the region is diverse. It consists of sedimentary rocks in the north and metamorphic and igneous rocks in the south. High-quality coal deposits can be found near Tshikondeni and in the northern part of the Kruger National Park. On the south-eastern edge, the mineral-rich formations of the Bushveld Complex are affected. The river regularly has low water levels. In the area of the confluence of the Groot Letaba in the river now called Letaba, the amount of water is estimated at an annual average of around 168 million m³, over which the two dams of the Letaba are operated. In comparison, the Tzaneen dam processes an inflow of an average of 60 million m³ annually.
The justification streams of Letaba are the Groot Letaba and the Klein Letaba . Tributaries are the Middle Letaba , the Nharhweni , the Ngwenyeni , the Nwanedzi , the Molototsi , the Nsama and the Makhadzi .
Dams / dams
There are several dams in the catchment area of the Letaba basin.
In the Letaba itself are the Ebenezer Dam and the Tzaneen Dam . The Ebenezer Dam was built to meet the high water demands of domestic industry and households. It accumulates over 70 million m³ of water. The Tzaneen Dam primarily serves the demand along the Groot Letaba Valley . In addition to smaller businesses that rely on water, the Murchison gold mine receives the necessary supplies from here . In the Kruger National Park there is also the Engelhard Dam , which has a capacity of 157.57 million m³ of water and is the second largest dam in the Letaba area, and the Black Heron Dam .
Tributaries are also dammed. In Middle Letaba is the Lorna Dawn Dam ; this copes with the highest amounts of water in the entire catchment area, namely 184 million m³. Also in the middle Letaba is the Middle Letaba dam with a capacity of 8.16 million m³. The Molototsi also has the Modjaji Dam and the Nsama the Hudson Ntsanwisi Dam . Other dams are the Magoebaskloof Dam (4.99 million m³), the Vergere Dam (0.3 million m³), the Rietspruit Dam , the Dap Naudé Dam (2.04 million m³) , which only regulates the local water supply Hans Merensky-Damm (1.26 million m³) responsible for supplying areas in the western region .
climate
The annual temperature ranges from around 18 ° C in the mountainous regions to over 28 ° C in the northern and eastern areas. The highest temperatures are measured in January, the lowest in July.
Precipitation mostly occurs in summer (January and February) and especially in the summit regions. The mean annual rainfall is 612 mm.
Agriculture
Intensive agriculture can be practiced where there are ideal irrigation conditions. This applies in particular to the northern regions of the catchment area of the Klein Letaba at the level of the Middle Letaba Dam , and along the tributaries Letsitele , Groot Letaba and in the upper area of the Luvuvhu . Vegetables are grown, including large areas of tomatoes, citrus fruits as well as bananas, mangoes, avocados and nuts. Due to the relatively high amounts of rainfall, timber is provided by forests planted for commercial purposes on the Drakensberg strata and on the Soutpansberg.
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ Letaba River
- ^ A b c Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, South Africa. 2004. Luvuvhu / Letaba Water Management Area: Internal Strategic Perspective. Prepared by Goba Moahloli Keeve Steyn (Pty) Ltd in association with Tlou and Matji, Golder Associates Africa and BKS on behalf of the Directorate: National Water Resource Planning.
- ↑ Information at krugerpark.co.za, accessed on August 10, 2017
- ↑ Lvuvhu and Letaba WMA 2
- ↑ a b c The Letaba River Catchment ( Memento of the original from September 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c RIVERS IN SOUTH AFRICA ( Memento of the original from June 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
