OVERVIEW OF THE IMPACT OF MINING ON THE ... - IIED pubs

The Botswana Department of Water Affairs (Mahalapye and Serowe offices) is responsible for management of
all water resources in this sub-catchment. River flows are gauged at one site on the Lotsane River (Boroto &
Görgens, 1999).
4.3.1.6 Human impacts on water resources (excluding mining)
The following can be expected to impact on water resources in this sub-catchment:
• Landfills and solid waste disposal sites at Serowe and Palapye, as well as at numerous smaller settlements;
• Disposal of liquid (domestic) effluent at Serowe and Palapye;
• Non-point domestic effluent via soak-aways in rural areas;
• Non-point impact of localized, small-scale irrigation;
• Minor non-point impact from subsistence agriculture; and
• Fuel loss and litter on the roads between Groblers Bridge and Serowe, and between Mahalapye and
Francistown, as well as along numerous smaller roads in the sub-catchment.
4.3.2 Mining and mineral processing operations
A single small coal mine is in operation at Morupele-Moijabana (Table 4.3).
Table 4.4: Mining operations in the Lotsane sub-catchment.
Code
Number
Name of Mine
Commodity (ies)
Mined
ccxxii
Status Relative
Size
Bots-2 Morupele-Moijabana Coal Operating Small Low
4.3.3 Alluvial mining
None known.
4.3.4 Monitoring systems
Probable
Impact
One flow-gauging site is located on the Lotsane River downstream of the town of Palapye. The Botswana
Department of Water Affairs conducts regular monitoring of water quality in all the water supply dams, as well
as water supplied to towns and smaller communities from the North-South Pipeline. The geohydrology section
within the Department of water Affairs also tests borehole water quality at regular intervals.
4.3.5 Water quality data