South Africa Approves Plan to Combat Acid Water Drainage From Gold Mines

South Africa’s Cabinet said it has approved a plan to combat the drainage of acid water fromdesign of soda ash production plant the country’s gold mines to ensure ground water supplies are not contaminated. “We want to give all South Africans the assurance that this matter is receiving attention,” Trevor Manuel, a minister in the Presidency, told reporters in Cape Town today.

Money to address the problem will be set aside in the national budget, which will be released tomorrow. The government will also try to reclaim any expenses that are incurred from profit-making mines. South Africa has the world’s deepest gold mines and workers extract the metal out of rock as far as 2.35 miles (3.8 kilometers) underground. Operators in the country include AngloGold Ashanti Ltd., Gold Fields Ltd. and Harmony Gold Mining Co. Mining in the country dates back to the 1600s and many operators abandoned their shafts when they stopped being financially viable, leaving the government to take custody.