NKOMATI ANTHRACITE (PTY) LIMITED - Sentula Mining

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Environmental Impact Assessment Report: Nkomati Anthracite (Pty) Limited, Madadeni Opencast Mining Project Page 22 The drainage channel situated on the southern side of the proposed opencast area is heavily grazed and only guides runoff water after rainfall events. This channel is overgrown by couch grass and the dominant vegetation species are Xanthium strumarium (large cocklebur), Argemone ochroleuca (Mexican poppy) and Solanum sisymbriifolium (Dense-thorned bitter apple). All three these plants are categorised as declared weed and invader plant species and must be eradicated. Opencast mining will aid to this goal. 3 . 1 . 7 . 1 . 1 . E n d a n g e r e d o r r a r e s p e ci e s No threatened species or any protected plants in terms of the Mpumalanga Conservation Ordinance were recorded within the study area. 3 . 1 . 7 . 1 . 2 . De c l a r e d w e e d an d i n vad e r s p e c i e s Eight declared invader species are established in the proposed opencast mining area, viz.: Xanthium strumarium Large cocklebur (Cat 1) Argemone ochroleuca Mexican poppy (Cat 1) Opuntia ficus –indica Prickly pear (Cat 1) Opuntia imbricata Imbricate prickly pear (Cat 1) Senna septemtrionalis Arsenic bush (Proposed Cat 3) Solanum sisymbriifolium Dense-thorned bitter apple (Cat 1) Achyranthes aspera Burweed (Cat 1) Melia azedarach Syringa (Cat 3) 3 . 1 . 7 . 1 . 3 . M e d i c i n a l sp e c i e s Thirteen medicinal plant species were observed in the proposed Madadeni opencast mining area viz. Asclepias physocarpa (Milkweed), Aloe marlothii (Flat-flowered aloe), Acacia karroo (Sweet thorn), Schotia brachypetala (Weeping boer-bean), Kigelia Africana (Sausage tree), Ziziphus mucronata (Buffalo thorn), Centella asiatica (Pennywort), Ficus sycomorus (Sycamore fig), Zanthoxylum capense (Small knobwood), Terminalia sericea (Silver terminalia), Rhoicissus tridentata (Bushman’s grape), Ipomoea obscura (Wild petunia) and Kalanchoe paniculata. These species are all widespread in the area and are not rare or endangered. 3 . 1 . 7 . 1 . 4 . Co n c l u s i o n a n d R ec o m m e n d a t i o n s Since opencast mining is going to take place at proposed Madadeni opencast mining area, the area needs to be re-vegetated following rehabilitation. Since the area is presently utilised as a grazing area, this land use will also be the post mining land use goal. Grass species for re-vegetation include the following: Scientific name Common name Rate Eragrostis curvula (Ermelo variety) Weeping love grass 10 kg/ha Chloris gayana Rhodes grass 8 kg/ha Digitaria eriantha Common finger grass 15 kg/ha Eragrostis tef Tef 18 kg/ha Cynodon dactylon Couch grass 3 kg/ha After rehabilitation and re-vegetation of the opencast and infrastructure areas, regular inspections must be conducted over the areas to determine if vegetation cover is successful in order to combat erosion. If bare patches become visible, seeding of the areas must follow. Inspections must also include the establishment of any declared invader plant species. If they exist in the areas an immediate eradication program must be implemented. NKOMATI ANTHRACITE (PTY) LIMITED COMPILED BY GEOVICON ENVIRONMENTAL (PTY) LTD
Environmental Impact Assessment Report: Nkomati Anthracite (Pty) Limited, Madadeni Opencast Mining Project Page 23 3.1.8 S u r f ac e W a t e r Madadeni Opencast mining right area falls within the Komati River catchment. Madadeni Opencast mining right area falls in the X13 tertiary drainage region of the Komati River catchment. Within this tertiary region the mine falls within the X13J quaternary drainage region. Figure 3 depicts the location of the Madadeni Opencast Mining right area in relation to the tertiary and quaternary drainage regions within the Komati River catchment. 3 . 1 . 8 . 1 S u r f a c e W at e r Q u a n t i t y Nkomati Anthracite Mine falls within the Komati River catchment. This catchment area covers 11 209 km 2 extending from the Transvaal Plateau west of Carolina to the Lebombo Mountain range at Komatipoort in the east. The total average mean annual runoff of the Komati River is 1420 million m 3 . The Komati River catchment is divided into three sub-catchments (excludes Mozambique). These sub-catchments are namely the upstream, Swaziland and the downstream catchment. The Nkomati Anthracite Mine falls within the downstream catchment of the Komati River. This catchment area extends from the Swaziland border to 4 km inside Mozambique in the east. This catchment consists of 15% (1 672 km 2 ) of the total Komati River catchment area. Table 14 indicates the MAR of the respective sub-catchments of the Komati River catchments. Figure 8 shows the respective subcatchments of the Komati River. 3 . 1 . 8 . 1 . 1 . Ca t c h m e n t Bo u n d a r i e s Catchment boundaries relative to the mining right area of Nkomati Anthracite (Pty) Limited are depicted in Figure 8. The general drainage pattern of the area in relation to the mining right area flows towards the north. The Komati River forms the main drainage channel. Four tributaries drain across the mining right area towards the Komati River and include: � Nhlenga River The Nhlenga River originates from the west of the mining right area and flows in an easterly direction toward the mining right area. The Nhlenga River enters the Nkomati Anthracite (Pty) Limited mining right area on the western boundary and thereafter drains into the Komati River. The Madadeni opencast mining area will not influence the Nhlenga River catchment as it does not fall within this catchment. � Mdzabi and Mbiteni River The Mdzabi River and the Mbiteni River originate from the south of the mining right area and flows in the north direction towards the mining right area. These rivers confluence upstream of the mining right area to form the Nyantshi River. The Nyantshi River enters the Nkomati Anthracite (Pty) Limited mining right area on the southern boundary and drains into the Komati River. The Madadeni opencast mining area will not influence the Mdzabi and Mbiteni River catchment as it does not fall within this catchment, but rather the Mgobode River Catchment which lies on the western side of the Komati River. � Mgobode River The Madadeni opencast mining area and its infrastructure occur on the Mgobode sub-catchment, which does not from part of any of the Nyantshi River and Nhlenga River catchments. The mine has NKOMATI ANTHRACITE (PTY) LIMITED COMPILED BY GEOVICON ENVIRONMENTAL (PTY) LTD
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