While government efforts to treat acid mine drainage (AMD) have focused on the East, Central and West Witwatersrand, there are various bodies looking at how to address the treatment of AMD in the coal mining areas of Mpumalanga.
AMD treatment in the Mpumalanga areas has been driven mostly by the growing demand for clean water. For instance, Anglo American and BHP Billiton commissioned the eMalahleni Water Reclamation Plant in 2010 to produce drinking water, with its feedwater coming from four coal mines in the area.
According to Laetitia Coetser, associate partner and principal scientist at SRK Consulting, the Mine Water Coordinating Body (MWCB) was established to manage the Mpumalanga water systems, with similar efforts undertaken by the Strategic Water Partnership Network (SWPN) Minewater Team.
"The MWCB brings together the mining industry and government to find solutions to complex regulatory, institutional and financial barriers to improve mine water treatment and reuse," says Coetser.
"Through the SWPN, the private, public and civil society sectors contribute to the development and implementation of efficient and innovative solutions to South African water challenges."
SRK Contributors:
Laetitia Coetser, Norman McGeorge
