INTRODUCTION
The Department of Water and Sanitation is responsible for Groundwater Information in South Africa.
This includes the collection and distribution of all groundwater related data and information products.
Adequate groundwater information is paramount, particularly in a dry country such as the Republic of South Africa.
To be able to support strategic development objectives, it is important to analyse and assess the complete hydrogeological cycle and hydrochemical trends in an integrated fashion with collaboration between groundwater, surface water and meteorological data.
WHAT IS CHART?
CHART is a web enabled, integrated, hydrogeological analysis and reporting solution to assist hydrogeologists and hydrogeochemists in decision-making during analysis and assessment of hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical data.
WHY CHART?
The Department of Water and Sanitation has a legal obligation to ensure that water resources (including groundwater) are protected, used, developed, conserved, managed and controlled in a sustainable and equitable manner.
The National Water Act (NWA) (Act No 36 of 1998), Chapter 14 Part 2 requires the establishment of national monitoring and information systems because the availability of information about water resources is regarded as critical to the main purpose of the NWA.
Section 139.2 (c) refers specifically to a national groundwater information system, which translates to the National Groundwater Information System (NGIS) Portfolio.