EDITORIAL MINING
into the environment,” says Rodrigues.“ It is a model for how mining operations can integrate sustainability into their core operations.”
Moreover, there are significant advantages to effective water treatment. In the study“ South Africa’ s options for mineimpacted water reuse,” it is noted that South Africa ranks among the top thirty driest countries globally. Alarmingly, it is anticipated that the country’ s water demand will surpass its supply by next year. The South African government has identified that substantial amounts of water could be recovered through the recycling of treated water affected by mining activities.
At present, however, there is a substantial production of treated water from mining activities that is often only considered for discharge or disposal. This treated water could instead be utilised in sectors currently consuming high-quality water unnecessarily, such as agriculture, sanitation, or industrial processes. Repurposing this wastewater to meet‘ fitness-for-use’ standards for alternative uses could significantly lower the costs associated with treatment compared to producing potable water. The analysis suggests that the optimal use for repurposed mine-impacted water is in agriculture, specifically for irrigating crops, including food, forage, or energy crops, which currently consume the bulk of South Africa’ s premium water resources.
Solving these challenges requires collaboration across the private and public sectors.“ From engineering firms to biotech companies and regulatory bodies, everyone has a role to play,” says Rodrigues. This goes beyond a traditional suppliercustomer relationship and centres on creating partnerships that bring together the best technologies and expertise. We need to stop seeing environmental management as a cost and start seeing it as an investment in the country’ s future,” concludes Rodrigues.
With millions of litres of polluted water at stake daily, and the rainy season heightening the risk of overflow and contamination, the urgency is clear. ■
REFERENCES:
1. https:// www. statista. com / statistics / 1121214 / mining-sectors-value-addedto-gdp-in-south-africa /#:~: text = The % 20mining % 20sector % 20forms % 20 an, Gross % 20Domestic % 20Product % 20( GDP) 2. https:// tradingeconomics. com / south-africa / mining-production 3. https:// www. africandecisions. com / resources / water-and-mining / 4. https:// biodx. co /
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