South African Water Quality Guidelines: Agricultural Water Use – Irrigation (1996)

This guideline comprised the second edition of the South African Water Quality Guidelines for Agricultural Water Use: Irrigation, published in 1996. The guideline was developed to define water quality requirements for irrigation use across South Africa and to support decision‑making in water quality management. It provided scientifically derived guideline values for a wide range of physical, chemical, and microbiological constituents that influenced crop yield, soil sustainability, irrigation infrastructure, and food safety.

The guideline addressed both short‑term and long‑term impacts of irrigation water quality and incorporated South African climatic, soil, and agricultural conditions. Guideline values were presented together with supporting information describing constituent behaviour, sources, interactions with soils and crops, potential effects, mitigation options, and treatment considerations. The guideline was designed as a user‑needs specification for water quality managers, irrigation planners, regulators, researchers, and agricultural stakeholders.

The development process involved national expert consultation, technical review, and stakeholder participation, ensuring that international guideline approaches were adapted to local conditions. The guideline formed part of a broader national guideline series covering multiple water uses and was intended to be periodically updated as new scientific evidence became available.