Page 30 - EngineerIt August 2021

MINING

Water stewardship gives mines

the broader view

ith South Africa’s growing the broader view,” said Shand. “There is today, however, a growing recognition that a high-
demand for water – and the level, concerted approach to water stewardship is not only the environmentally responsible
Wimpact of climate change route to take, but also contributes to building the resilience of the mining operation.”
on rainfall variability and water supply This resilience lies in the ability to identify and manage the myriad of water-related
security – the need for a systematic risks that operations face, she said. These might include water supply uncertainty,
approach to water stewardship in mining compliance issues related to water quality and downstream discharge impacts. A water
has never been greater. stewardship approach can provide the foundation for pro-active planning and action, to
Water management has long been avoid incidents that could threaten operational continuity or even viability and present a
a focus in the mining sector, according liability to downstream water users.
to Lindsay Shand, associate partner
and principal environmental geologist at Tools for progress
SRK Consulting. In 2014, for instance, While the focus for mining operations is generally on the specific challenge at hand, larger
the International Council on Mining and corporations are starting to see the value of the bigger picture on water-related issues,
Metals’ water stewardship framework concurred Fiona Sutton, principal consultant at SRK Consulting.
outlined a standardised approach for “Often, the scope and demands of water stewardship may seem a daunting prospect
mining companies, recognising that water at operational level,” said Sutton. “This is one of the reasons why best practice tools are so
connects an operation to the surrounding useful, such as the International Water Stewardship Standard from the Alliance for Water
landscape and communities. Stewardship (AWS*).”
“In our past work with mining clients, She highlighted that the AWS Standard offers a globally applicable framework for
SRK often only addressed a particular major water users to understand their catchment and their own water use and impacts,
challenge or project, rather than taking with practical guidance on how to effectively manage these impacts.

A site in a catchment taking cognisance of the effects of upstream activities on a site (red triangle) as well as the potential impact of site
operations on downstream water users

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