WATER MANAGEMENT
Water, water everywhere
Every year when preparing this article, the importance of water resources is evermore evident, as John Chadwick reports
In January 2017, the ICMM put out a position statement setting out its members’ approach to water stewardship. This provides excellent guidelines for all operations to follow.
“ Water stewardship is the use of water in ways that are socially equitable, environmentally sustainable, and economically beneficial. Effective stewardship requires collaboration and concerted action from all parties, including government, civil society, business and local communities through inclusive stakeholder engagement.”
Member mining companies of the ICMM are required to: n Apply strong and transparent water governance n Manage water at operations effectively n Collaborate to achieve responsible and sustainable water use. ICMM principles of particular relevance to water stewardship are: n Principle 3: Uphold fundamental human rights and respect cultures, customs and values in dealings with employees and others who are affected by our activities n Principle 4: Implement effective riskmanagement strategies and systems based on sound science and which account for stakeholder perceptions of risks n Principle 6: Pursue continual improvement in environmental performance issues, such as water stewardship, energy use and climate change n Principle 7: Contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and integrated approaches to land-use planning n Principle 10: Proactively engage key
stakeholders on sustainable development challenges and opportunities in an open and transparent manner. Effectively report and independently verify progress and performance. ICMM members recognise that:
1. Water is a precious shared resource with high social, cultural, environmental and economic value. Access to water has been recognised as a right; integral to wellbeing and livelihoods and the spiritual and cultural practices of many communities. It is also essential to the healthy functioning of ecosystems and the services they provide
2. Water is a vital input for all mining and metals operations – required for the health and wellbeing of employees and at every stage of an operation’ s life cycle including closure. The dependency and impact on a shared resource creates material risk for the mining and metals sector that requires effective management
3. Water challenges are increasing around the world. Earth’ s freshwater resources are finite and under pressure from industrialisation, urbanisation, climate change and the needs of a growing global population
4. These challenges are shared across countries, industry sectors and society. In order to meet demand, a change is needed in the way water is used, managed and shared. This will require collaboration and concerted action from all parties, including government, civil society, business and local communities
5. Through the Sustainable Development Goals, world leaders have publicly acknowledged the urgency of using and managing water sustainably. The business
Pretium Resources is constructing the highgrade Brucejack underground gold mine in northern British Columbia. Veolia is supplying proven proprietary processes to treat up to 10,000 m 3 / d of effluent water from the mine
sector can play a significant role in supporting this approach, including through ensuring access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene( WASH) for employees in the workplace. There is further opportunity for the business sector to support government initiatives through leveraging capital or expertise to improve community WASH and other water related outcomes
6. Water-related risks and impacts are predominantly experienced by people and ecosystems at the local / catchment level. Therefore companies need to look beyond traditional operations-based water management to the dynamics and interactions of various water users in the wider catchment. Effective water management requires a holistic understanding of hydrology and land use, as well as broader political, economic, social and ecological dynamics that influence water availability and quality
7. The mining and metals industry has an important role to play in the sustainable management of water resources where companies are active. Proactive and holistic water management strategies can create substantial competitive advantage through reducing water-related risk, identifying opportunities, attracting investment and building trust through improved transparency.
28 International Mining | MARCH 2017