acidic water
The problem is complicated, said Anthony Turton, a scientist who specializes in water resource management.
“If we continue to ignore it, South Africa is going to continue to have investor confidence in the economy eroded. That is not good for anyone. The second thing that is going to happen is you’re going continuously get a human health issue coming to the fore, and that is going to feed into the investor confidence slowly. The third thing that is going to happen, is that we’re building up a level of salt in our rivers and therefore salt on our agriculture land and therefore we’re going to start limiting our capacity as a nation to feed itself.”
Despite this, Turton cautioned against overreaction.
“There is a lot of alarmism going on, about this acid mining drainage story. Yes, acid mine drainage is a problem, a significant problem, but certainly not going to float the streets of Johannesburg.”
The government has been aware a solution was going to be needed since the mid-1990s. The problem is there was little to no regulation of the mining industry under apartheid and most mining companies who were here then deny responsibility.
Last year, a group of experts proposed a series of measures to purify the water. But this sustainable solution has an estimated cost of four times the budget allocated to the ministry of water for the next three years.
The government and some mining companies, like AngloGold Ashanti, are working on plans to expanding efforts to pump the toxic water and how to cover costs.
From International Italy, post acidic water
