Molewa calls on public to put pressure on mines

Water and Environmegraphic videos of raw mill of cement industryntal Affairs Minister Edna Molewa says it is time that SA’s mining houses came under pressure from the public to help the government sort out the Witwatersrand’s acid mine drainage problems

Projections are that if the problem is not attended to in SA’s economic hub, there will be a shortage of usable water from 2014. The effect of the additional water supply from the second phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme will also be diminished, as at least some of the water will be used to dilute contaminated water. Ms Molewa told a media briefing that she was working with Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu to ensure that mines "came on board" to help the government deal with the Witwatersrand’s acid mine drainage problem. The Treasury has allocated R433m to the problem, but it is estimated that R900m to R1bn is needed to deal with it effectively. Acid mine water is already pouring into water courses on the Witwatersrand’s western basin, and scientists say it will flow into the region’s central and...