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

AN OVERVIEW OF THE IMPACT OF MINING AND
MINERAL PROCESSING OPERATIONS ON WATER
RESOURCES AND WATER QUALITY IN THE
ZAMBEZI, LIMPOPO AND OLIFANTS
CATCHMENTS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The original Terms of Reference for this study (Research Topic 4) were extremely broad and required an
overview of all mining impacts on the biophysical environment throughout southern Africa. Though this
objective was desirable, and would provide an excellent background for management strategies in each of the
SADC countries, it was unrealistic in view of the time and budget constraints. Therefore, the main focus of this
research topic was restricted to water resources, in particular water quality, and attention confined to three key
river basins, namely the Zambezi, Limpopo and Olifants basins. Whilst the revised Terms of Reference remain
challenging, they represent a compromise that enabled a useful body of work to be produced.
The Project Team who conducted the investigation and report writing for Research Topic 4 comprised the
following individuals:
• Dr Peter Ashton – CSIR-Environmentek, South Africa – Research Co-ordinator and Project Manager;
• Mr David Love – Mineral Resources Centre, University of Zimbabwe – Principal Investigator;
• Professor Paul Dirks – Mineral Resources Centre, University of Zimbabwe – Project Supervisor and
Reviewer (Zimbabwe sector); and
• Ms Harriet Mahachi – Mineral Resources Centre, University of Zimbabwe – Assistant Investigator.
This report provides an overview of the impacts that mining and mineral processing activities have had, or are
likely to have, on the water resources (in particular, water quality aspects) of the Zambezi, Limpopo and Olifants
river basins. The report is the output of a collaborative research process involving scientists from CSIR-
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