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

Section 5 briefly reviews the water resources of the Olifants basin and records the available evidence related to
impacts on water resources and water quality that can be attributed to mining and mineral processing activities
the basin. This is supplemented with lists of all mining activities and maps showing the locations of these
operations in each sub-catchment.
Section 6 synthesizes the information on impacts on water resources and water quality contained in Sections 3,
4 and 5 in the form of a series of conclusions that can be used by stakeholders.
Section 7 consists of a list of recommendations based on the findings of this study.
Section 8 lists all the reference materials consulted during the execution of this study, as well as the individuals
who were consulted for their opinions and insights.
2. IMPACTS OF MINING AND MINERAL PROCESSING OPERATIONS ON THE
BIOPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
2.1 The mining and minerals processing sector in southern Africa
Extensive archaeological evidence indicates that mining activities, particularly those aimed at the extraction of iron,
gold and copper, have occurred in many of the SADC countries for at least a thousand years (Mendelsohn, 1961).
These activities expanded spectacularly during the past century with the discovery of new mineral resources and
the development of new mining and metallurgical technologies. Mineral exploration surveys also revealed that,
collectively, southern African countries contain some of the most abundant reserves of strategic and economically
important minerals, gemstones, oil and gas anywhere in the world (Anhaeusser & Maske, 1986; Wilson &
Anhaeusser, 2000; SADC, 2000a). These mineral resources hold the promise of exceptional long-term social and
economic benefits for the region and their exploitation has accelerated dramatically during the past century
(Hounsome & Ashton, 2001). Today, despite recent adverse economic features and depressed commodity prices
for many minerals and mineral products, mining and its associated industries continue to form the cornerstone for
the economies of most southern African countries (Table 2.1).
Table 2.1: Summary data for the twelve mainland SADC states to show the relative importance of social and
economic contributions made by the mining and minerals processing sector in each country (Adapted from
Hounsome & Ashton, 2001).
SADC
Country
2000
Popula
tion
(Millions)
Mining Mining
Population Contribution Employment
Growth Rate To GDP (%)
(%) (%)
#1
#2
Mining Share
of Foreign
Earnings
(%)
#3
Angola 10.145 2.15 52.3 9.0 90.0
Botswana 1.576 0.76 38.0 5.5 70.0
D. R. Congo 51.965 3.19 28.0 4.0 70.0
Lesotho 2.143 1.65 0.5 1.0 0.3
Malawi 10.386 1.61 0.9 0.4 0.5
Mozambique 19.105 1.47 2.0 1.3 2.0
Namibia 1.771 1.57 20.0 4.5 48.0
South Africa 43.421 0.50 8.0 9.0 28.6
xliii