South Africa is experiencing a warming trend that is about 1.5 times the global average. Kirsten Kelly talks to Mehmetcan Özkadıoğlu, hydrologist at SRK Consulting, about the impact of climate change on mine water management.
“South Africa is currently undergoing notable climate transformations – a trend that’s becoming more and more evident,” explains Özkadıoğlu. “Climate change projections are predicting a temperature increase of 1°C to 2°C across the country by mid-century. Accompanying this, we are anticipating a shift in rainfall patterns, leading to an increase in rainfall for some of the areas and a decrease in overall rainfall trends in other areas, which could potentially lead to drier and wetter mining conditions. At the same time, the climate models project an increase in the intensity of rainfall and the frequency of storm events, increasing the risk of mine flooding. The probability of extreme heat events, which can intensify evaporative losses, is also expected to rise. These changing climate patterns are essential to incorporate in the mine water management strategies, highlighting the urgency of climate change considerations in our decision-making processes.”
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