A broad view should be taken when considering the options for treating water, says consulting engineering firm SRK Consulting principal engineer Xanthe Adams.
Complying with water quality limits set out in water use licences is imperative for mines, industrial organisations and other authorised South African water users, she says.
With increasingly stringent quality requirements and more enforcement, treating discharge water to achieve specified limits is being discussed more frequently.
“Improved water stewardship is a growing theme in business sustainability as South African companies increasingly recognise water risks and learn to manage them. The country’s semi-arid status has long been understood but its implications are now being more keenly felt – especially considering factors such as urban migration, economic growth and climate change,” she says.
Adams highlights that a key responsibility of public sector water regulators is the maintenance of water resource quality in rivers, streams and other natural water bodies. Water use licence holders must generally comply with specified quality limits set for water discharged into natural watercourses.
Many users, both mining and industrial, may now be faced with having to meet more onerous water quality obligations.
Read the full article in Engineering News
