There are 15 recognised transboundary river basins in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. They range in size from the large Congo River Basin (3 730 470 km²) in the northern part of SADC, to Umbeluzi River Basin (5 500 km²) in the southeast. The Zambezi River Basin (1 390 000 km²) covers eight SADC member states. It is estimated that about 70 % of the water resources in the SADC region are shared by more than one country. Thus one of the characteristic features in the region, is shared watercourse systems, with complex water rights and potential conflicts over utilisation of the shared resources (SADC 2005).
The table below lists the river basins, selected river characteristics (basin area, river length and mean annual runoff [MAR]) and the riparian states that they include.
Transboundary River basins in SADC.
River
Basin Area (km²)
River Length (km)
MAR (Mm³)
Riparian States
Buzi
31 000
250
2,5
Zimbabwe, Mozambique
Congo
3 730 470
4 70
1 260 000
Angola, Burundi, Rwanda, Central African Republic, Tanzania, Congo, Cameroon, DR Congo, Zambia
Cuvelai
100 000
430
Ephemeral
Angola, Namibia
Incomati
49 965
480
3,5
South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique
Kunene
106 500
1 050
5,5
Angola, Namibia
Limpopo
408 000
1 750
5,5
Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique
Maputo-Usutu-Pongola
32 000
380
2,5
South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique
Nile
3 254 555
6 700
86
Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, D R Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt
