As a result, the water becomes very acidic and damages downstream aquatic ecosystems. The south african government and nongovernmental organizations response to amd is assessed, as well the socioeconomic and developmental effects of amd. What is acid mine drainage amd, why is it such a serious threat to south africa and more importantly why has been it been silenced and kept under wraps by the mining industry and south african government for so long. Acid mine drainage in south africa has become a major concern for the countrys water infrastructure over recent years. Feb 11, 2010 acid mine drainage, west rand 11 feb 2010 the department of water affairs as part of the government task team on mine closure and water management together with mining companies have agreed on a model to deal with the acid mine drainage challenge that is affecting the western, central and eastern basins the witwatersrand gold fields area. Acid mine drainage amd is the flow, or seepage, of polluted water from old mining areas. Law and governance perspectives l feris lj kotze acid drainage is one of the most serious and potentially enduring environmental problems for the mining industry. Acid mine water drainage debating a sustainable solution to a serious issue 7 deloitte refers to one or more of deloitte touche tohmatsu limited dttl, a uk private company limited by. Environmental, health and human rights consequences of gold mining in south africas west and central rand noted the slow response to the acid mine drainage amd.
In south africa already a waterscarce country this situation is further compounded by mining practices that are not only unsustainable, but also largely unregulated from an environmental perspective. Mine water approach using tracers in south african abandoned. Mar 15, 20 in 2002, acid mine drainage started pouring out from an abandoned mine near krugesdorp and spilling out from mines across the area at a rate of about 15 million litres a day. In 2002, acid mine drainage started pouring out from an abandoned mine near krugesdorp and spilling out from mines across the area at a rate of about 15 million litres a day. Acid mine drainage, west rand south african government. Mantle plumes and the breakup of gondwana why is the drainage. Most of the cases result from the exposure of sulfide minerals in waste dumps to air and rainfall after the abandonment of mines in the world. Emmanuel sakala1, 2, francois fourie2, modreck gomo2, henk coetzee1, lwazi. Institute of groundwater studies, university of the free state, bloemfontein, free state, south africa, email. For individual support on doing business in south africa, specific questions about market. Acid mine drainage amd is an acidic, sulfurrich, metallic wastewater, originating from mine discharge of both operational and abandoned mines 1. The acid water is believed to be currently about 600m below surface of johannesburg and surrounding areas, but is rising at an estimated rate of between 0. The nature of acid mine drainage in the vaal river system.
Acid mine drainage in south africa amazon web services. Water and sanitation, dbsa amd and its adverse impacts put simply, acid mine drainage amd is acidic water that forms when water reacts with minerals voided by mining, which are then exposed to air. Fate, transport and effects of metals originating from acid. Breakup was caused by plumes of hot material that rose from deep in the earths mantle and. The discharge took place in april 1994 when a containment structure failed, releasing the mine drainage into the creek. The regulation of acid mine drainage in south africa.
At the time these mines were surveyed, 37 mines in south africa were observed to have ore mineralization in an outcrop, shallow pit, or isolated drill holeknown as an occurance mine. Management and mitigation of acid mine drainage in south africa. The video presents the main findings of the opportunities in acid mine drainage in south africa. The key factor of acid mine drainage amd in the history.
The government plans to start charging mining firms twothirds of the cost for treating polluted water emanating from their century old mining operations in. Acid mine drainage in south africa development actors. Thus, there is a close connection between resource development and amd issue. With acid mine drainage amd threatening some of south africas major cities, waterways and industries, south african technology providers are. In 2002, near the town of krugersdorp, acid mine drainage from an abandoned mine welled up and began pouring out on the surface. How south african communities are affected by government and industry neglect by andrea zeelie acid mine drainage amd refers to the mixing of water with toxic chemicals such as those present in heavy metals, sulphates, and radioactive uranium, which leak from abandoned mine sites into dolomitic areas underground.
Roodepoort, south africa revised and updated mineral resource estimate for the waterberg platinum project, south africa latitude 23 22. South africas department of water and sanitation plans to implement a levy on mines to tackle acid mine drainage. The key factor of acid mine drainage amd in the history of. It provides a background to amd and its impactsfrom a social science perspective. Dec 10, 2010 with acid mine drainage amd threatening some of south africas major cities, waterways and industries, south african technology providers are getting on the solutions bandwagon in the hopes of. Treated water running into a lake at a acid mine drainage plant near krugersdorp. Residents left in dark over acid mine drainage treatment. Mines deny acid mine drainage responsibility farmers weekly. Major drainage lines of africa at the present day together with some of the major former directions of drainage shown by arrows discussed in this paper. Amd is a legacy left behind by abandoned, derelict and defunct mines, and is a continuing byproduct of existing mining activities.
May 21, 2016 south african minister of water and sanitation announced earlier in the month that her department was ready to implement a long term strategy to deal with acid mine drainage. Tds load contribution from acid mine drainage to hartbeespoort dam, south africa pj hobbs1 1council for scientific and industrial research csir, po box 395, pretoria, 0001, south africa abstract evidence of a mine water impact on groundwater in the karst aquifer downstream of the actively draining west rand. The government should only pay in instances where a mine is truly abandoned, liefferink said. Overview mine water pollution has been identified by the department of environmental affairs and tourism deat, 2008 as an emerging issue. The basin roughly oval in shape, approximately 350 km in a north east to south west direction and stretching over 150 km across hosts seven major goldfields. The acid mine drainage solution bandwagon africas best read. In a nutshell, acid mine drainage is a form of water pollution that happens when rain, runoff, or streams come in contact with rock that is rich in sulfur. The vaal and orange rivers rise almost on the eastern escarpment and flow across the entire country to discharge into.
The south african government and nongovernmental organizations response to amd is assessed, as well the. Jun 12, 20 the video presents the main findings of the opportunities in acid mine drainage in south africa. Left unchecked, it can result in such longterm water quality impacts that it could well be this industrys most harmful legacy. Final words acid mine drainage issues in south africa. The river drainage network in south africa is very asymmetrical figure 1. A gisbased history of gold mine residue deposits and risk. Jun 17, 2016 what is acid mine drainage amd, why is it such a serious threat to south africa and more importantly why has been it been silenced and kept under wraps by the mining industry and south african government for so long. Africa formed the core of gondwana and was flanked in the east by antarctica and in the west by south america.
Mining activities have resulted in the mass exposure of iron pyrite and heavy metals, both underground and on the surface. Acid mine drainage in gauteng province, south africa mining in south africa and in gauteng province. Oct 14, 2016 institutional linkages and acid mine drainage. Tds load contribution from acid mine drainage to hartbeespoort dam, south africa pj hobbs1 1council for scientific and industrial research csir, po box 395, pretoria, 0001, south africa abstract evidence of a minewater impact on groundwater in the karst. The gold mining industry in south africa principally the witwatersrand goldfield is in decline, but the postclosure decant of amd is an enormous threat, and this could become worse if remedial activities are delayed or not implemented. Amd is a legacy left behind by abandoned, derelict and defunct mines, and is a continuing byproduct of existing mining.
Philip j hobbs csir senior research hydrogeologist article type. The last mine standing doesnt have to take on the full burden, but they will have to work out how it will be funded. Acid mine drainage, west rand 11 feb 2010 the department of water affairs as part of the government task team on mine closure and water management together with mining companies have agreed on a model to deal with the acid mine drainage challenge that is affecting the western, central and eastern basins the witwatersrand gold fields area. Summerstrand campus, port elizabeth, south africa 3department of natural and agricultural sciences, university of pretoria, pretoria, south africa matthys. Mine water approach using tracers in south african. In south africa the maximum limit is 400mg per litre. Acid mine drainage in the gauteng province of south africa.
The chemical characteristics of acid mine drainage with. Earthlife africa, johannesburg branch 2009b acid mine drainage on the witwatersrand amd fact sheet 2, johannesburg, 16 august. A gisbased history of gold mine residue deposits and risk assessment of postmining landuses on the witwatersrand basin, south africa 64% of slimes dams had failed and there were instances of failures and spillage in 1938 being virtually. South african minister of water and sanitation announced earlier in the month that her department was ready to implement a long term strategy to deal with acid mine drainage. Nov, 2019 in a nutshell, acid mine drainage is a form of water pollution that happens when rain, runoff, or streams come in contact with rock that is rich in sulfur.
Acid mine drainage issues in south africa godfrey mwiinga pr. Water and sanitation, dbsa amd and its adverse impacts put simply, acid mine drainage amd is acidic water that forms when water reacts with minerals voided by mining, which are then exposed to. Salmon principal engineer, anglo american technical division, civil engineering department po box 61587, marshalltown 2107, south africa. Water management at a large opencast strip coal mine in south africa d. In mineral resourcerich africa, this has emerged as one of the most daunting challenges of our time. Acid mine water drainage debating a sustainable solution to a serious issue 7 deloitte refers to one or more of deloitte touche tohmatsu limited dttl, a uk private company limited by guarantee, and its network of. Case study acid mine drainage south africa earthwise.
This springerbrief focuses on acid mine drainage amd in the three basins in the witwatersrand, south africa. Over the years, there have been hundreds of companies with new solutions to the acid mine drainage problem. The witwatersrand is not the only region in south africa where acid mine drainage is a problem, but it is currently the area of greatest concern. Aug 18, 2018 south africas department of water and sanitation plans to implement a levy on mines to tackle acid mine drainage. Revised and updated mineral resource estimate for the. Water management at a large opencast strip coal mine in. Acid mine drainage project mine restoration investments. Could this be the key to solving sas acid mine drainage problem. Acid mine water drainage debating a sustainable solution to a.
516 649 901 1043 1131 1349 944 1373 766 1517 934 252 415 992 1411 32 187 276 827 714 156 91 505 759 897 1513 1091 420 151 368 556 581 998 1411 960 596 335 1300 749 1379 584 1082 941 740 830 369