Over 150 years of mining activities has left South Africa’s environment and its water courses with  huge potential problems.

This is set to be addressed through Cabinet –and an inter-ministerial committee that includes the Ministers of Water Affairs; Environmental Affairs and Mineral Resources. It also includes the Ministers of Finance, Science and Technology and National Planning. An inter-governmental task team (IGTT) co-chaired by the directors-general of Water Affairs and Mineral Resources is responsible to ensure that the programme of addressing the matter is underway and progress reported to the Cabinet.

It is essential for government to understand the impact of acid mine drainage (AMD) and what the possibilities of addressing it are. In this regard, a task team of scientists and professionals in the water sector, namely the Team of Experts (ToE) under the leadership of the CEO of the Council for GeoScience has put together very tight timelines and schedules to advise. Its findings and suggestions were accepted and endorsed up to the level of Cabinet and the IGTT mandated to implement. The ToE report recommended the implementation of the emergency works which implied immediate and short term solutions ie pumping and neutralisation, primarily in the area of the western Basin.

The situation in the three basins that the Inter Ministerial Committee  gave instruction for work to be done and includes the following: –

• In the western Basin it can be reported that the surface decant of AMD into the environment has been eradicated.
• In the central Basin, work towards the construction of an AMD pump station, neutralisation plant as well as waste and neutralised water pipelines at the former East Rand Proprietary Mines commenced in January 2013. Civil works are at an advanced stage of development and commissioning is projected for December 2013. Currently the level of underground AMD does not present any environmental or socio-economic risks.
• In the Eastern Basin there is a projection for infrastructure development similar to the one at the Central Basin. A bid for the project has recently been advertised and mandatory briefing meetings in lines with the bid have been convened with potential service providers. All things being equal it is envisaged that the bid will be awarded by December 2013 with the project commissioning scheduled for December 2014.

It is the firm belief of government and its partners that there is significant progress being made towards addressing this critical challenge to our environment and water resources with its resultant socio-economic impacts.