Pongola (river)

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Pongola
The catchment area of ​​the Maputo with the Pongola (below)

The catchment area of ​​the Maputo with the Pongola (below)

Data
location South AfricaSouth Africa South Africa
KwaZulu-Natal , Mpumalanga
River system Maputo
Drain over Maputo  → Indian Ocean
Source height 2200  m
muzzle Usutu River Coordinates: 26 ° 51 ′ 20 "  S , 32 ° 20 ′ 48"  E, 26 ° 51 ′ 20 "  S , 32 ° 20 ′ 48"  E

Catchment area 9580 km²
Discharge
A Eo : 9580 km²
at the mouth 		MQ
Mq
 		37 m³ / s
3.9 l / (s km²)
Left tributaries Witrivier , Mozana , Spekboomrivier , Ngwavuma
Right tributaries Bivane , Thalu
Reservoirs flowed through Pongolapoort reservoir
Small towns Jozini , Mamfene , Mengu , Pongola , Paulpietersburg
Communities Jozini , Umhlabuyalingana , uPhongolo , eDumbe
Pongola below the Pongolapoort Dam

Pongola below the Pongolapoort Dam

The Pongola (also Phongolo , isiZulu for 'trough') is a tributary of the Maputo in South Africa .

course

Its source is near Wakkerstroom in KwaZulu-Natal on the border with Mpumalanga in the eastern Drakensberg . It is located at an altitude of 2200 meters above sea level. It flows in an easterly direction, partially forms the border between KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga and continues through a gorge in the Lebombo Mountains . The catchment area of the Pongola belongs to the catchment area of ​​the Maputo.

ecology

The Pongola floodplain is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in South Africa. The many lagoons, oxbow lakes, marshes, forests, dykes and meadows provide a habitat for many animals. Crocodiles, hippos, red chalk pelicans and cobalt kingfishers live in the river . The martial eagle lives near the river. To the river there are also some rare plants, including the Gladiolenart Ithala Gladiolus , Bivane Waterwood ( Engl. ) And wild teak .

Web links

  • Pongola River ( English ) Institute of Southern Africa ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (WISA). Retrieved April 10, 2010.
  • Lani van Vuuren: Darlington Dam: Development Steeped in Controversy . In: Preserving our rivers' right to survival . The Water Wheel, Volume: 2009 Volume 8 No 3 May / June. South African Water Research Commission, May 2009, ISSN  0258-2244 , p. 23–27 ( PDF , 392 kB [accessed April 10, 2010]).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Managing Freshwater Ecosystems of International Water Resources - The Case of the Maputo River in Mozambique
  2. ↑ Pongola Home Page ( English ) KZN North Coast Happenings . Retrieved April 10, 2010.
  3. ↑ a b van Vuuren, 2009. p. 23.
  4. ^ WISA (ed.), Pongola River: Overview.
  5. ^ WISA (Ed.), Pongola River: Ecology.