Umgeni River

Umgeni River
uMngeni (in Zulu)
Umgeni River; uMngeni (in Zulu)
	The Umgeni River's Blue Lagoon at Durban North
	Map of the Umgeni River watershed
	Location of the Umgeni River mouth
Location
Country	South Africa
Region	KwaZulu-Natal
Physical characteristics
Source	Drakensberg
• elevation	1,825 m (5,988 ft)
Mouth	Indian Ocean
• location	Durban, South Africa
• coordinates	29°48′36″S31°02′08″E / 29.81000°S 31.03556°E
• elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	232 km (144 mi)
Basin size	4,432 km2 (1,711 sq mi)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Msunduzi River

Last updated January 30, 2024

The Umgeni River or Mgeni River (Zulu : uMngeni) is a river in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It rises in the "Dargle" in the KZN Midlands, and its mouth is at Durban, some distance north of Durban's natural harbour. It is generally agreed its name means "the river of entrance" in Zulu, though other meanings have been suggested.^[1]^[2]

Tributaries

A noteworthy tributary is the Msunduzi River, which joins it between Nagle and Inanda dams. Higher up its course, the Msunduzi (or 'Dusi' for short) passes through the KwaZulu-Natal capital Pietermaritzburg. A famous downriver race, the Dusi Canoe Marathon takes place between the capital and Durban, attracting thousands of canoeists for the three-day event held every year January.

A small tributary that has an impact exceeding its size and length is the Lions River which joins the Umgeni about 4 kilometers upstream of Midmar Dam (near Lidgetton). Its significance lies in the fact that it is a part of a water transfer scheme between the Mooi River (Spring Grove Dam) and the Umgeni.

A smaller tributary close to its mouth is the 26-kilometre-long (16 mi) Palmiet River, which should not be confused with the Palmiet River in the Western Cape.^[3]

Dams

Presently the Umgeni is part of the Mvoti to Umzimkulu Water Management Area.^[4] There are four large dams in its catchment basin:

Ecology

The Scaly Yellowfish (Labeobarbus natalensis) is a fish found in the Umgeni River System as well as in the Umzimkhulu, Thukela, Umkhomazi and the Umfolozi. It is a common endemic species in KwaZulu-Natal Province and lives in different habitats between the Drakensberg foothills and the coastal lowlands.^[5]^[6]

History

It is assumed that Vasco da Gama replenished his fleet's water supply at the Umgeni mouth on Christmas Day, 1497, and so named the region Natal, Portuguese for Christmas. The river then acquired the name "River of Natal".

130 years later the Umgeni was crossed by Nathaniel Isaacs on his way to visit Shaka.^[1] At some point before October 1825, settlers and natives led by Francis Farewell began construction of Fort Farewell between the uMngeni River and Port Natal.^[7]

Related Research Articles

KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu and Natal Province were merged. It is located in the southeast of the country, with a long shoreline on the Indian Ocean and sharing borders with three other provinces and the countries of Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho. Its capital is Pietermaritzburg, and its largest city is Durban. It is the second-most populous province in South Africa, with slightly fewer residents than Gauteng.

Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu is the name used for the Umgungundlovu District Municipality. Pietermaritzburg is popularly called Maritzburg in Afrikaans, English and Zulu alike, and often informally abbreviated to PMB. It is a regionally important industrial hub, producing aluminium, timber and dairy products, as well as the main economic hub of Umgungundlovu District Municipality. The public sector is a major employer in the city due to local, district and provincial government offices located here.

Howick is a town located in the UMngeni Local Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The town is 1050 m above sea level, and about 88 kilometres from the port city of Durban. It enjoys warm summers and cool dry winters. A snappy chill descends upon Howick when snow falls on the nearby Drakensberg. The town is located on the N3 freeway, connecting it with the rest of South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Msunduzi River</span> River in South Africa

The Msunduzi River is a river in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is also known by its anglicised name, the Dusi River. The original name, Msunduzi, is isiZulu.

The Umfolozi River is a river in KwaZulu-Natal, a province of South Africa. It is formed by the confluence of the Black and White Umfolozi Rivers near the southeastern boundary of the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve. The isiZulu name imFolozi is generally considered to describe the zigzag course followed by both tributaries, though other explanations have been given.

The Mzimkulu River is a river in South Africa. In the past, the Mzimkulu formed part of the border between Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. Presently this river is part of the Mvoti to Umzimkulu Water Management Area. In late February of every year, the river is host to one of South Africa's most popular canoe races, the Drak Challenge.

Midmar Dam is a combined gravity & earth-fill type dam and recreation area located near Howick and Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Boating, swimming, waterskiing, picnicking, and fishing are popular pastimes at Midmar Dam. Each year, the Midmar Mile swimming race is held there, which organizers call "the world's largest open water swimming event". Over 20,000 entries were received for the 2009 event. Midmar Dam is located in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal. The dam's primary purpose is to serve for municipal and industrial use and its hazard potential has been ranked high (3).

The Dusi Canoe Marathon is a marathon canoe race held over three days between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, South Africa. It is run along the Msunduzi and Mgeni Rivers over a total distance of 120 kilometres (75 mi). The race attracts between 1600 and 2000 paddlers each year, making it the biggest canoeing event on the African continent. It is organised by the Natal Canoe Club. The clubhouse is located on the banks of the Msunduzi River, at the exact start point of the race.

The Valley of a Thousand Hills is a valley between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, South Africa. The Umgeni River meets the Msunduzi River in the valley, and the Dusi Canoe Marathon is run through the area every year.

The Ohlanga River is a river in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, which empties into the Indian Ocean just north of uMhlanga, north of Durban. The river has extensive reed beds in the estuary at its mouth, which is only 7 km southwest from the mouth of the Mdloti River. Presently, this river is part of the Mvoti to Umzimkulu Water Management Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Msunduzi Local Municipality</span> Local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Msunduzi Municipality is a local municipality within the Umgungundlovu District Municipality, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It encompasses the city of Pietermaritzburg, which is the capital of KwaZulu-Natal and the main economic hub of the Umgungundlovu District Municipality.

Midmar Nature Reserve, also known as Midmar Dam Nature Reserve, is a protected area around Midmar Dam on the Umgeni River. It is situated near to Howick in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Mvoti to Umzimkulu WMA, or Mvoti to Umzimkulu Water Management Area , Includes the following major rivers: the Mvoti River, uThongathi River, uMdloti River, Ohlanga River, Mngeni River, Sterkspruit River, iLovu River, uMkomazi River, Mzimayi River, uMzimkhulu River and Mtamvuna River and covers the following Dams:

uMshwathi Local Municipality Local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

UMshwathi Local Municipality is situated in UMgungundlovu District Municipality (UMDM) which is in the foothills of the province of KwaZulu-Natal, about 120 km northwest of Durban, geographically located between the N2 and the N3 highways. The municipality is the largest Municipality in the largest district of KZN out of the seven Local Municipalities which form UMDM.

The uMkhomazi River is a river in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

The following is a timeline of the history of Pietermaritzburg. It is part of the Msunduzi Local Municipality in the Umgungundlovu District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa.

The uMgeni Vlei Nature Reserve is a wetland reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa that protects several threatened bird species.

In April 2022, days of heavy rain across KwaZulu-Natal in southeastern South Africa led to deadly floods. Particularly hard-hit were areas in and around Durban. At least 435 people died across the province, with an unknown number of people missing as of April 22. Several thousand homes were damaged or destroyed. Critical infrastructure, including major roads, transportation, communication, and electrical systems, were also impacted by the flooding, and this damage greatly hampered recovery and relief efforts. It is one of the deadliest disasters in the country in the 21st century, and the deadliest storm since the 1987 floods. The floods have caused more than R17 billion in infrastructure damage. A national state of disaster was declared.

Springfield Park, officially known as Umgeni Business Park is an industrial suburb of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa located north-east of the city centre.

References

1 2 du Plessis, E.J. (1973). Suid-Afrikaanse berg- en riviername. Tafelberg-uitgewers, Cape Town. pp. 277, 278. ISBN 0-624-00273-X.
↑ Raper, P.E. (2004). South African Place Names. Jonathan Ball, Jhb & Cape Town. p. 245. ISBN 1-86842-190-2.
↑ Palmiet Nature Reserve Flooding
↑ Mvoti to Umzimkulu WMA 11
↑ "Technical Report on the State of Yellowfishes in South Africa 2007" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-06-29. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
↑ Agunbiade, Foluso O.; Moodley, Brenda (2014-07-16). "Pharmaceuticals as emerging organic contaminants in Umgeni River water system, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa". Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 186 (11): 7273–7291. doi:10.1007/s10661-014-3926-z. ISSN 0167-6369. PMID 25027777. S2CID 25955776.
↑ Isaacs, Nathaniel (1836). Travels and adventures in eastern Africa. London: Edward Churton. pp. 30–33.

Peters, Janice (1973). Proceedings of the first International Conference on Ephomeroptera. Brill Archive. p. 90. ISBN 978-90-04-03590-4.

External links

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[d-1] 1 2 du Plessis, E.J. (1973). Suid-Afrikaanse berg- en riviername. Tafelberg-uitgewers, Cape Town. pp. 277, 278. ISBN 0-624-00273-X.

[r-2] Raper, P.E. (2004). South African Place Names. Jonathan Ball, Jhb & Cape Town. p. 245. ISBN 1-86842-190-2.

[3] Palmiet Nature Reserve Flooding

[4] Mvoti to Umzimkulu WMA 11

[5] "Technical Report on the State of Yellowfishes in South Africa 2007" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-06-29. Retrieved 2012-03-29.

[6] Agunbiade, Foluso O.; Moodley, Brenda (2014-07-16). "Pharmaceuticals as emerging organic contaminants in Umgeni River water system, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa". Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 186 (11): 7273–7291. doi:10.1007/s10661-014-3926-z. ISSN 0167-6369. PMID 25027777. S2CID 25955776.

[7] Isaacs, Nathaniel (1836). Travels and adventures in eastern Africa. London: Edward Churton. pp. 30–33.

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