The atlas will provide a comprehensive reference on the vulnerability of water resources to mining activity in South Africa. It will show the critical interplay between mining and water resources and will be the most extensive set of documents of its kind.
"We're very excited about this project. It's a world first. No country in the world has done this before," said research manager for the Water Research Commission (WRC), Jo Burgess.
The multi-layered set of maps will span all mineral provinces in South Africa and particularly drill down into the areas where mining frequently takes place. The maps will chart and map water resources in the various provinces. This in turn will be overlaid with maps of mining and mineral-refining activities in order to understand the locations at which surface and groundwater and mining collide.
Brendan Hart of Golder Associates said the atlas is intended to help mining companies, investors, government departments and students get a better understanding of the impact of mining on water resources.
While it is an extremely useful guide, the atlas does not replace environmental impact assessments (EIAs) or tell you where you can or can't mine. "It rather sets the decision context around the likely impacts of mining activity in a given mineral region," said Hart.
"For example, the atlas would be able to advise that certain areas could be dangerous and highly vulnerable as it's a pristine environment. It puts up red flags so that potential investors would think twice before digging there," said Burgess.
Hart believes it will help mining companies and investors get information about the areas in which they're active. They'll be able to use it to see what their liabilities may be and what the focus of mitigation measures may need to be implemented to protect water resources in their area of operation.
It will help government departments to visualise and highlight areas that are very risky, and also help define the key questions for impact assessment. The atlas will serve as an educational reference for legislators as well as universities, while it is also geared towards raising awareness among the general public about the critical link between water and mining.
Burgess said the WRC has been very encouraged by the openness of mining and consulting companies, which have provided data that could be used for the common goal of environmental protection and have shared their EIA data sets with Golder and the WRC.
