Access to clean and safe drinking water has become one of the most pressing problems for modern society, with pollution of the water resource (rivers, groundwater, lakes etc.) being a serious threat to the provision of safe and clean water.
In countries with active and mining legacies, there is often the presence of mine drainage, which could be neutral in pH or acidic (acid mine drainage – AMD). In the Witwatersrand Basin(s), the uncontrolled decant of AMD has been observed to the west (at the Krugersdorp Nature Reserve) and, if it were left untreated, uncontrolled decant would occur at other locations.
The exact position of decant and the date that decant would occur are difficult to predict, as they rely on many external factors; however, the need to do something is recognised as being critical across all sectors of society. As a result of the seriousness of the risk posed by AMD, the issue has received considerable press coverage over the last few years.
Professor Craig M. Sheridan & Professor Sunny E. Iyuke
(Full article in May edition of Mining Prospectus)
