[miningmx.com] — THE government has denied that rising acid effluent in the Central Basin of the Witwatersrand would reach an environmentally critical level by February 2012.
According to a senior regional manager at the department of water affairs, Marius Keet, that level would only be breached if the matter were left unattended until June 2012. By that time, the department would have installed the necessary pumps to prevent a possible natural disaster. The pumps are scheduled to be in operation by March 2012.
Keet was speaking on Tuesday at a briefing following last week’s cabinet meeting where an inter-ministerial report on acid main drainage, compiled by a team of experts, was put to cabinet.
A statement released by government spokesperson Jimmy Manyi read that “cabinet noted the status of acid mine drainage in the Witwatersrand and approved the recommendations made by the team of exports to the inter-ministerial committee.
“Cabinet also agreed that further work needs to be done to investigate the possibility of an environmental levy.’
Minister in the Presidency Trevor Manuel said the full report by the team of experts would be made public on Thursday, while Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan would give an estimate on Wednesday of how much government planned to budget for tackling the problem.
Some scientists warned earlier that the rate at which the acid water is rising would reach the critical environmental level of 150 metres below the south-western vertical shaft of the ERPM mine near Boksburg by February 2012 – with catastrophic consequences for the underground water in that area.
The toxic water, which is already flowing out above ground on the West Rand, could within weeks of reaching the environmentally critical level in the Central Basin also begin to emerge above ground from the Cinderella ventilation shaft on the edge of Boksburg’s central business district.
However, according to the experts’ report, said Keet, the effluent was now at a level of 500m below the surface in the Central Basin, and 700m below the surface in the Eastern Basin.
Because of a multitude of shallower mines in the Central Basin, Keet said, rising water would take longer to reach the 150m mark as the bigger empty areas would take longer to fill and cause a slowdown.
Manuel said the government understood the urgency of the matter, but that there was no reason for panic.
“Throw away your gumboots and relax,’ he said.
He said the expert report contained the opinions and recommendations of several scientific bodies and universities.
Based on the report, Manuel said, government would prioritise its actions according to the most pressing issues.
“The report indicates issues we should be concerned about; all those issues are explained in detail in the report,’ Manuel said. “A series of pumping needs to happen, with different activities (applicable) to different parts.’
Manuel also said the issue of an environmental levy was complex, as in some cases mines were already treating water themselves.
