Olifants River (Limpopo)
| Mouth of the watercourse | Limpopo River  |
|---|---|
| Drainage basin | Limpopo basin |
| Country | South Africa |
| Edey de administrative territorial entity insyd | Mpumalanga, Gaza Province |
| Coordinate location | 26°20′33″S 29°49′47″E, 24°6′44″S 32°38′25″E |
De Olifants River, Lepelle,[1] iBhalule anaa Obalule[2] (Afrikaans: Olifantsrivier; Portuguese: Rio dos Elefantes) be sam river for South Africa den Mozambique, den e be tributary of de Limpopo River. E dey fall under Drainage Area B for de Drainage basins of South Africa. De historical area of de Pedi people, Sekhukhuneland, dey located between de Olifants River den one of ein biggest tributaries, de Steelpoort River.[3]
Ein Course
[edit | edit source]De Olifants River get ein origin between Breyten den Bethal, Mpumalanga Province.[4] E dey flow go north towards Limpopo Province thru Witbank Dam den den Loskop Dam, den de Drakensberg force am make e turn go east. E cut thru de Abel Erasmus Pass den continue dey flow go east across de Lowveld before e join de Letaba River. E cross enter Gaza Province, Mozambique after e cut thru de Lebombo Mountains by way of de Olifants Gorge, den e become de Rio dos Elefantes. Finally, e join de Limpopo River after 40 km before de river enter de Indian Ocean for Xai-Xai north of Maputo.[5]
Ein Water quality
[edit | edit source]Overgrazing for some sections of ein middle course dey make de river carry away plenty eroded soil after heavy rains.[6] De Olifants River don become one of de most heavily polluted rivers for South Africa, not because of human or industrial waste, but because green algae dey thrive plenty insyd am.[7]Sam study wey dem do for 2013 insyd Kruger Park show say de river be mesotrophic, wey mean say de nutrient levels no too high. However, small increase for nitrates fit start eutrophication. Dem also link very high sulphate levels to coal mining den industrial activities for de upper catchment area.[8]
Ein Tributaries
[edit | edit source]De Olifants River ein biggest tributaries be de Letaba River[9] den de Steelpoort River wey dem know as Tubatse River.[10] Oda tributaries be de Tongwane, Blyde, Moses, Spekboom, Timbavati, Nkumpi, Ga-Selati, Klaserie, Makhutswi, Mohlapitse River, Lepellane River, Mohwetse River den Ngwaritsi River. Some of de tributaries, especially de Klein Olifants River (wey start near Hendrina den join de Olifants River downstream of de Middelburg Dam), de Elands, Wilge den de Bronkhorstspruit, rise for de Highveld grasslands.[11]
De Shingwedzi River dey flow close to de northeastern side of de Massingir Dam reservoir den join de left bank of de Olifants River about 12 km downstream from de dam wall.[12]
Ein Dams
[edit | edit source]Thirty large dams wey dey insyd de Olifants River Catchment dey include de following:
South Africa
[edit | edit source]- Witbank Dam
- Rhenosterkop Dam, wey dey de Elands River top
- Rust de Winter Dam
- Blyderivierpoort Dam
- Loskop Dam
- Middelburg Dam, wey dey de Klein Olifants River
- Ohrigstad Dam
- De Hoop Dam
- Flag Boshielo Dam
- Phalaborwa Barrage
Mozambique
[edit | edit source]- Massingir Dam[13]
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ Olifants River now called Lepelle
- ↑ Transvaal Indigenous Place Names Archived 2008-10-31 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "The Ba Pedi". Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ↑ Major rivers and streams within the Limpopo River Basin
- ↑ Key rivers of South Africa Archived 2012-07-10 at archive.today
- ↑ The Olifants River System Archived 2007-07-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Contaminated Olifants River Running Out of Time
- ↑ Smit, NJ; Wepener, V; Vlok, W; Wagenaar, GM; van Vuren, JHJ (2013). Conservation of tigerfish, Hydrocynus vittatus, in the Kruger National Park with the emphasis on establishing the suitability of the water quantity and quality requirements for the Olifants and Luvuvhu rivers: report to the Water Research Commission (PDF). Gezina [South Africa]: Water Research Commission. p. vi. ISBN 978-1-4312-0358-1. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ↑ Luvuvu Lethaba WMA 2
- ↑ Major rivers and streams within the Limpopo River Basin
- ↑ Olifants river WMA 4
- ↑ Shingwedzi River: why is it the most polluted river in the KNP?
- ↑ "Massingir Dam & Flooding of Olifants Gorge". Archived from the original on 2017-07-27. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
External links
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