Guided by circular economy principles, many mines are innovating ways of reducing water use, reusing and recycling it back into processing plants and, in many instances, even repurposing treated water for other applications.
The mining sector's experience is setting the benchmark for responsible water stewardship, according to SRK Consulting South Africa, which could be emulated by other industries and municipalities to better manage water.
"Water is crucial for socio-economic development, supporting human health and wellbeing and it is a critical resource for the sustainability of various industries, including mining" said Steve Bartels, Partner and Principal Civil Engineering Technologist at SRK Consulting SA. "Without water, mines cannot operate and, therefore, have to act responsibly in terms of how it uses this resource".
"This focus extends beyond managing water sourced from water service providers" said Bartels, noting that it also included the harvesting of water from surface catchment systems and from underground water ingress.
"This water is also diverted into other applications to supplement losses in the system due to factors such as evaporation" he said.
The efficient management of water movement within and beyond operations relies on mines' sophisticated water balance systems.
"A mine's water balance entails evaluating water entering the system, how much is available, the volume of water that various processes will consume, and how much of this can be recycled and then placed back into the system," he explained.
Water Scarcity
Bartels noted that this level of water stewardship was especially important in a water scarce country such as South Africa. The country experiences variable and below average rainfall of only about 464 mm, compared to the global average of about of about 850 mm. Alongside these levels are regular droughts in various areas of the country.
