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

5.9.1.6 Human impacts on water resources (excluding mining)
The following activities can be expected to have an impact on water resources in the Shingwedzi subcatchment:
• Small landfills and solid waste disposal sites at tourist camps in the Kruger National Park;
• De-vegetation and other forms of veld degradation, leading to increased erosion and loads of suspended
sediments in most streams and rivers;
• Non-point domestic effluent from numerous small settlements and farms;
• Minor non-point impact from non-intensive commercial or subsistence agriculture;
• Minor amounts of litter and domestic garbage alongside the few roads that traverse the upper reaches of
the sub-catchment.
5.9.2 Mining and mineral processing operations
The following mining operations are of interest in the Shingwedzi sub-catchment (Figures 4.2 and 4.3; Table
5.17).
Table 5.17: Mining operations in the Shingwedzi sub-catchment.
Code
Number
Name of Mine
Commodity
(ies) Mined
cccxxix
Status
Relative
Size
Probable
Impact
A8-9 Shingwedzi Gold Abandoned Very small Very low
B8-1 Shingwedzi Alluvial Gold Abandoned Artisan (few) Very low
B8-2 Giyani Alluvial Gold Operating Artisan (few) Low – Medium
B8-3 Golden Pocket Gold Prospecting Very small Very low
5.9.3 Alluvial mining
There are two sets of alluvial gold mining activities in this sub-catchment, one of which has apparently been
abandoned (Figures 4.2 and 4.3; Table 5.17). The Giyani alluvial goldfield apparently spreads over the
watershed between this sub-catchment and the Letaba sub-catchment to the south; hence it is recorded in both
sets of information.
5.9.4 Monitoring systems
Monitoring of water quality is conducted in South Africa only.
5.9.5 Water quality data