Draft Status Quo Report for the Pixley Ka Seme ... - SRK Consulting

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SRK Consulting in association with BKS Pixley Ka Seme Local Municipality EMF – Draft Status Quo Report Page 53 Asset Opportunity Constraint / Threat Africa and internationally Water resources include: • Relatively high rainfall in the mountainous area providing inter alia, forestry and agricultural potential • Groundwater and springs • Dams • Natural resources include that associated with the wetlands and pans. Wetlands in the PKSLM perform essential ecosystem functions including flood attenuation, ‘polishing’ of water (cleaning) and habitat for aquatic ecosystems. They also act as ‘sponges’, and play a key role in the sustaining of year-round water flow (Palmer, 2010) Mining (particularly coal) is an economically and strategically important activity in the GSDM with high potential for expansion in the PKSLM Productive agricultural land (rough grazing and cultivation) and forestry are economically important in the PKSLM High tourism/ecotourism potential (including pans a wetlands and other ecological assets, geological features, scenic beauty, heritage and agriculture management of the PKSLM water resource are presented by: • Prevention of stormwater ingress into the mines and other routes into the mining void, as well as fixing and upgrade of leaking water supply pipelines could reduce the AMD • A comprehensive strategy to deal with water quantity and quality issues facing the PKSLM and catchments beyond due to mine closures needs to be implemented • Strengthening of sustainability underpinning the IDPs when these come up for periodic review • Improved inter-departmental coordination for EIA and SEMP authorisations and water use licences. The opportunity is there for proactive protection of the valuable water resources of the PKSLM, such as through the water sensitivity map. Agricultural production facilities and water treatment works can consider the construction of artificial wetlands as one part of their strategy to treat effluent before it reaches surface and ground water (although this cannot be the primary treatment means). Appropriate management of water quality and quantity impacts from agriculture and afforestation in particular away from the wetlands. limiting factor to development due to high demands for water use. Alien vegetation infestation further poses a risk to water availability. Over allocation of water resources poses a risk to the aquatic ecosystems which play a key role in the maintenance of water quality and quantity. Problems associated with afforestation and agriculture include: • Agricultural production and afforestation contribute nutrient loads and other contaminants to surface and groundwater • Stream flow reduction (particularly by afforestation) poses a risk to water availability for ecological systems and other water uses. Problems associated with coal-mining include: • A large proportion of the collieries will eventually decant water onto the surface following closure. Pollution from AMD poses a threat to the surface-and groundwater quality of the PKSLM and beyond, the fitness- foruse of the water and ecosystem functioning. Prevention of decant of AMD. • A large contribution to AMD originates from stormwater ingress, also possibly contributed to by leaking water mains. • Difficulty of removal of pollution associated with AMD, with remediation technology such as reverse osmosis being very costly. • There are health risks to public reliant on AMD contaminated surface- and groundwater. Not all of the operational mines have approved Environmental Management Programmes. Degradation of the PKSLM could place the RAMSAR site at risk. There appears to be a lack of a clear strategy on how to deal with the mine decant between government departments, as well as other stakeholders. Shallow-lying coal deposits may be mined by small-scale miners. Problems associated with small-scale mining in southern Africa include: • Higher TDS levels in the rivers • Increased erosion and degradation of the rivers • Water quality impacts from AMD. Wetland system in the Wakkerstroom area and surrounds Avoidance of development in the wetlands and riverine systems. The development of tourism needs to be done to maximise opportunities for local people without significantly impacting the Wetlands and riverine systems beyond pose a physical limitation on the development potential of the area: • Development near the rivers should be KILI/BEAT G:\404946_PIXLEY EMF\7REPORTS\Status Quo report\Draft report\Draft status quo report, July 2010.docx July 2010
SRK Consulting in association with BKS Pixley Ka Seme Local Municipality EMF – Draft Status Quo Report Page 54 Asset Opportunity Constraint / Threat water resources. avoided • Development in the catchments of the pans with no outlets should be avoided • Development of coal should be managed to minimise pollution of natural waterways • Forestry should be managed to minimise their impacts of natural waterways. Extensive network of streams and rivers in the PKSLM Wastewater treatment networks, solid waste disposal and stormwater infrastructure in the PKSLM are subject to overloading Relatively active research community, including individuals in the area Large community of learners, landowners, developers and interest groups in the PKSLM and downstream environment Synergistic impetus for potential education programme provided by the coexistence of cultural heritage, biodiversity importance and ground water resource and tourism interest in the area International significance of being situated on the water divides, with the study area supplying neighbouring countries Development of riverine habitat should not be disturbed. New developments in PKSLM must meet regulatory requirements in respect of stormwater management and also be required to implement on-site attenuation and related sustainable stormwater management methods. Individual owners of existing developments in the study area can be encouraged to implement retrofitting, including rainwater collection and installation of permeable paving. Appropriate budgeting to ensure maintenance of existing infrastructure and the necessary upgrades to infrastructure can be motivated based on the current noncompliance of some infrastructure. Regular monitoring and reporting on water quantity and quality of municipal point source discharges should be carried out to stakeholder groupings, such as river forums. The GSDM waste management strategy must be reviewed where necessary and implemented. The municipality needs to absorb skilled people in the fields of hydrology and water resources management to ensure efficient protection and utilization of water recourses with sustainability in the area. Opportunities for awareness raising and building capacity for sustainable management of the water resource of the PKSLM include: • Research needs publicized to universities and research institutions • A well-publicised central repository of information on the PKSLM, to include research, community environmental projects, water monitoring data, suggestions for community based projects, and key lessons from the PKSLM or equivalent projects can be posted on the central information ‘portal’ • The PKSLM presents an excellent opportunity to showcase sustainable catchment management through an ICM education programme focussed on The frequent occurrence of storm events in the Highveld presents a high risk of flooding. Impervious developments (roads, roofing and canalization) in the upstream catchment cause increased flooding risks within the PKSLM, increase erosion, riverine habitat degradation, as well as loss of property and life. Capacity of the WWTW has not kept pace with increased demand, resulting in discharge of excessively contaminated water, and basic maintenance in some instances is insufficient. Further, inappropriate sewage disposal. Informal settlements and rural areas not supplied with adequate sanitation cause health risks through bacteriological contamination of water, including drinking water sources. Use of toilet technologies such as soakaways in areas surrounding wetlands is likely to result in contamination of the water resource. Polluting and runoff-generating activities including mining, agriculture, stormwater, sewage treatment discharge. AMD in particular has potential to threaten economic activities such as aquaculture, crop production and diversity, as well as human health and the ecological environment. High staff turnover in government departments hampers continuity and decision-making for the PKSLM and buffer. The implementation of the legislative framework for sustainable water management is threatened by gaps in information flow between various spheres of government. Roles and responsibilities of institutional structures relating to water management and governance are not always clearly defined. KILI/BEAT G:\404946_PIXLEY EMF\7REPORTS\Status Quo report\Draft report\Draft status quo report, July 2010.docx July 2010
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