Catchment overview

The Sabie-Sand Catchment covers some 6 320 km² and forms part of the larger Incomati System, which extends into Swaziland and Mozambique. The Sabie River is the mainstream of the catchment, with the Sand and Marite Rivers acting as major tributaries, and the Mac Mac River being a tertiary drainage.

The Sabie River has its source at 2 130 m above mean sea level in the Drakensberg Escarpment, drops into the lowveld and joins the Sand River inside the Kruger National Park.

Mean annual rainfall in the catchment varies between 2 000 mm on the Escarpment to around
600 mm in the Lowveld. Most of this falls between November and March, in the form of tropical storms. Summer maximum temperatures are high and evaporation averages at 1 700 mm per year in the Lowveld region. Mean annual runoff in the Sabie-Sand Catchment is approximately 762 million cubic metres. Flows in the Sabie River peak in summer, and low flows are experienced at the end of the winter dry season, although no-flow conditions have never been recorded.

Summary of findings

Move cursor over map and select specific area to view detailed map and Present Ecological State (PES) findings.