Green Economy Journal Issue 62

WATER
WATER
EUTROPHICATION
Eutrophication is a phenomenon that has adverse effects on freshwater systems worldwide when caused by the effects of human
activity. A body of water, such as a dam, is deemed eutrophic when it undergoes high primary production of organic compounds due
to an overload of nutrients. This over-production of compounds results in algal blooms which may have negative implications for water
quality. Among other impacts, eutrophication leads to oxygen deficiencies in the system. South Africa has some of the most enriched
surface water in the world and thus eutrophication presents a major problem.
The Water Research Commission (WRC), a statutory institution established by an Act of parliament, has been extensively involved in
eutrophication research since its inception in 1971 and has published many research studies on the topic.
South Africa’s
MINING WATER UPDATE
We are currently facing an onslaught of water shortages and shedding/shifting in our metros
that we thought would be too large to collapse. Are our mines too large to collapse as their water
security is threatened? What are the potential solutions as we strive to ignite our economy?
Mandela Bay has suffered severe water shortages due to drought
and collapsing water systems causing economic uncertainty and
high costs for major industries using groundwater that must be
treated expensively at their cost.
Business continuity has been severely impacted in these coastal
metros due purely to inadequate water security provision by local
government. Only the most resilient water assets will be able to survive
the climate change onslaught the globe is experiencing.
The mining sector faces similar challenges and will have to
inculcate with local government the best global water practices
to ensure its survival. Will the mining sector afford this? And will
local government be able to come to the party?
Water has now become a highly contested resource in South Africa
due to its general over-allocation for over two decades and the poor
state of water distribution systems. The fiscus has also come under
Only the most resilient
and best-managed
water assets will be able
to survive the climate
change onslaught.
OPINION PIECE BY BENOÎT LE ROY, SA WATER CHAMBER CEO
Water is crucial for mining. When gold mining started in
the late 1800s in South Africa, sophisticated utility-scale
water services were established, and the then largest
inter-basin water transfer schemes were set up to secure water
for the blossoming Witwatersrand. Villages were established in
the mining areas and semi-independent urban settlements were
funded, managed and kept going by the mines themselves.
Other basic services such as transport and waste were also established
by the mines out of necessity. Mining companies understood over a
century ago that their operations could only exist with basic services
such as water and sanitation that were provided by them and they
did this very successfully for a century or so.
In the late 1990s as the democratic dispensation rolled out, the new
demarcation of the country took place and within that process, the
mining towns became part of local government in all aspects. The
decline of basic services with notable water shortages came to the
fore as the new architecture showed its abject flaws. Without water
security in the mining towns, it becomes impossible to attract and
retain the required skills leading to significant inefficiencies and the
marginalisation of mines with over 6 000 abandoned mines registered
and over 2 000 classified as “high risk” to the public. This has resulted
in major environmental catastrophes and water pollution.
The tailings and mine-impacted waters will have to be addressed
to protect the water reserve that is already heavily eutrophied and
polluted by dysfunctional sewage systems. The irony is that polluting
mine-impacted water can be recovered as process and potable water
with technology deployed over a decade ago by the private sector in
the coal mining space – with 99% water recoveries. The resultant salts
are reused as raw materials for the construction industry with other
offtakes still underutilised, for example, green hydrogen.
We must start practising a circular economy approach that not only
addresses the water pollution issues, but also generates new jobs
while ensuring that precious raw materials are reused and repurposed
sustainably. So, the technology clearly exists but unfortunately, it’s not a
government priority as society is not pressurising the issue adequately,
yet we will be forced to as our future depends on it.
A relatively new phenomenon affecting our water security has
made its impact very clear, climate change. The resilience of our
poorly managed water systems has resulted in many issues with their
frequency on the rise in South Africa and globally.
The metro of Ethekwini was ravaged by two floods recently
destroying its collapsing sewage systems leading to significant
drops in tourism due to the ongoing river and sea pollution where
most beaches are continuously polluted. The metro of Nelson
significant pressure resulting in most programmes identified in the
2018 Water and Sanitation Masterplan being delayed mostly due to
insufficient funding from the public sector with shortfalls anywhere
between R33-billion to R90-billion per annum for the planned period
of 2010 to 2020. This means that the delays in implementing the
masterplan will only serve to increase water insecurity, decrease
investor confidence and increase the competition to access water
for mining operations and its supply chains.
The public capacity constraints lend themselves to private sector
participation as enshrined in the National Infrastructure Plan 2050.
However, institutional and regulatory strengthening will be required
to attract this quantum of private investment given our poor track
record of late. The opportunity for the private sector to chart a new
water security future with the public sector bodes well for the mining
industry as collaborative infrastructure programmes will be tailored to
suit all stakeholders – hopefully, more expediently and transparently.
In conclusion, water security in South Africa is now a key issue
with the mining sector that is not excluded as water cuts across all
industries and requires urgent, collaborative and decisive action to
arrest the decline and rebuild.
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