In drylands, groundwater is a critical resource for humans, livestock and wildlife. Sustainable management of this resource needs to consider both its quantity and quality. The latter is largely affected by land use, particularly in unconfined aquifers. Studies on the impact of land use on groundwater quality often focus on contrasting industrial and intensive agricultural to natural and low-intensity land use, but comparisons of different types of low intensity land use are rare. Here we examine the impact of low-intensity land uses comprising a national park, conservancies, extensive livestock and game farming in a semi-arid savanna by analysing water quality (WQI) of boreholes drilled from 1900 to 2000. The emerged parameters most often exceeding the World Health Organisation guideline values are Mg, TDS, NO3, F and Cl. Relative to drilling conditions, a 2020 sampling of 68 boreholes revealed that water quality was unchanged in 44%, deteriorated in 40%, and improved in 16%. Deteriorated water quality was mainly observed in livestock farms and private game reserves, while improved water quality was mainly observed in the national park and conservancies. Comparison of borehole samples from the dry season and wet season showed that 76% of sites maintained or improved water quality. However, a comparison between the quality of the source groundwater and the trough water supplied to animals showed a deterioration of one WQI class in 30% of the samples, highlighting the importance not only of large scale, general land use but also the impact of local water provision practices. Overall, low-intensity land uses such as a national park may provide favourable conditions for maintaining or improving water quality compared to exclusive livestock farming. Mixed farming systems may thus be a useful strategy for building resilience by safeguarding water resources amidst climate change.