Solutions sought for SA AMD 'hot spots'

Abstract

Mine-water pollution A cid mine drainage (AMD) is not unique to South Africa. In fact, it is a truly international problem faced by all the major mining countries, with some arguing that it is perhaps the industry’s most significant environmental legacy. The problem with South Africa is that the country does not have much water to begin with, thus any pollution could have serious future consequences. More than 120 years of formal mining has left its mark on the South African landscape. The country is reported to have an estimated 10 000 km2 of hydraulically interlinked coal mines in Mpumalanga alone, with about 300 km of interlinked gold mines on the Witwatersrand. Many of these mines were operated at a time when legislation was not cognisant of environmental management and mine rehabilitation. Thousands of mining operations have been left unrehabilitated and ownerless as dwindling resources and changing markets forced their closure. The Department of Minerals & Energy’s abandoned mines database has recorded more than 4 770 derelict and ownerless mines across the country.

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