03.05.2013 Views

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

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

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

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Code<br />

Number<br />

Name of Mine<br />

Commodity (ies)<br />

Mined<br />

cclxxxiii<br />

Status<br />

Relative<br />

Size<br />

Probable<br />

Impact<br />

A8-2 Mutale Pegmatite minerals Abandoned Small Very low<br />

A8-3 Pafuri Graphite Abandoned Very small Very low<br />

A8-4 Tshikondeni Coal Operating Medium Low-Medium<br />

A8-8 Nyala Magnesite Operating Small Very low<br />

4.22.3 Alluvial mining<br />

None known, though alluvial diamond deposits are understood to be present along the lower reaches of the<br />

Limpopo River adjacent to this sub-catchment.<br />

4.22.4 Monitoring systems<br />

The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) Regional office in Pietersburg carries out irregular<br />

monitoring of river flows and water quality in this sub-catchment, as well as limited monitoring of a few<br />

boreholes.<br />

4.22.5 Water quality data<br />

Water quality data for two sites along the Mutale River (middle and lower reaches) and one site of the Levuvhu<br />

River (lower reaches) were obtained from the Department of water Affairs and Forestry. These data are<br />

presented in Table 4.26.<br />

Table 4.26: Average annual values of a range of water quality characteristics at three DWAF sampling sites on<br />

the Mutale and Levuvhu rivers, Levuvhu sub-catchment. (Data derived from DWAF water quality records; all<br />

values are given in mg/litre unless otherwise stated).<br />

Sampling Site<br />

Water Quality Constituent Middle Mutale Lower Mutale Lower Levuvhu<br />

(A9H004)<br />

(A9H008)<br />

(A9H010)<br />

PH (log units) 6.85 7.90 7.78<br />

Electrical conductivity (mS/m) 7.4 12.9 15.8<br />

Total Dissolved Salts 48 95 99<br />

Ca 4.6 10.1 10.3<br />

Mg 2.7 5.4 5.7<br />

Na 5.2 7.6 10.5<br />

K 0.26 2.12 1.17<br />

Total Alkalinity (mg CaCO3) 19.4 46.6 41.1<br />

Cl 8.4 8.8 18.3

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!