Mining and It's Impact on Water Conservation

It is a fact that water covers 71% of the earth’s surface, such an abundance yet such a scarcity. In 2010, the UN declared access to clean water a human right. Why? The world may be comprised of such a large a percentage of Water but according to the NGWA (The ground water association) only a mere 3% is fit for humans consumption and as much as 1% of this water is not accessible (locked in the polar ice caps). Much of this is used for domestic purposes but a bulk of this is used as one might describe as ‘efficient wastefulness’ in industrial processes due to highly inefficient processes, so what is the effect of industrial mining processes in our life-giving resources? and How can we maximize the efficient use of our precious water resources?

Mining is an industry which uses a vast amount of water for its processes. From extracting minerals to keeping equipment clean and in operating order, mines use water for daily purposes. However, once this water has been used, it becomes acidic and unusable. Mining is one of the industries that uses the most amount of water during its extraction and production processes. According to ‘Quantification of water usage at a South African platinum processing plant’ by E.L Haggard, the mining industry utilizes 3% of the total water withdrawn in South Africa and is one of the industries responsible for the deterioration of water quality in South Africa.

So firstly, there are a few things to consider in the reduction and recycling of water and make out mining processes as eco-friendly as possible.

Reduction:

Organizations need to take into consideration that the consumption of water not only affects their annual utilities budget but also plays an effect in the price of the commodity in the region, the more you use, the demand becomes greater, the resource become more and more scarce and this causes the utility price to increase, so Why not implement a cost effective solution that will help the environment and your budget, Do you like spending extra funds and not saving?

Recycling:

As from the early years of childhood all the way to Tertiary Studies, each one of us have heard this term before “Recycling” , it’s funny enough that many of us know what to do and how to do it but we are constantly challenged by questions such as “is it worth it?”, “Why should I invest in something that does not generate revenue?”, “I am already ISO 14000 compliant and I so not need to do anything more”. These are just some of the realistic questions that individuals and corporates ask themselves everyday around the world. It is known that a large amount of water is used in the mining industry and recycling of this water through effluents plants and general reduction of leaks will significantly save water but also improve a company’s utilities expenditure which will also improve return on investment cost which will improve company financial performance.

So, in a nutshell, we know that water can be reduced, reused and recycled and by implementing effective water use and re-use policies and procedures that “YOU” can make an impact in your mining operations, So the question is, what is the mining industry, a known water polluter and guzzler, doing to conserve this precious resource it can't function without?

References:

1. Heidi Vella 2013, Managing water consumption in mining, Mining Technology, viewed 02 Sep 2019, <https://www.mining-technology.com/features/feature-managing-water-consumption-mining-global-shortage/>
2. United States Environmental Protection Agency 2017, Energy Efficiency for Water Utilities, Environmental Protection Agency, viewed 04 Sep 2019, <https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-water-infrastructure/energy-efficiency-water-utilities>
3. Veolia 2018, Mine Water and Wastewater Treatment Solutions, Veolia Water Technologies, viewed 02 Sep 2019, <https://www.veoliawatertechnologies.co.za/industrial-water-treatment/markets/mine-water-wastewater-treatment-solutions/>
4. Groundwater Association. (2012, September). Information on Earth's water - National Groundwater Association, viewed 03 Sep 2019, <https://www.ngwa.org/Fundamentals/teachers/Pages/information-on-earth-water.aspx>
5. Jeremiah Castelo 2019, In Water Crisis, World Water Reserve, viewed 02 Sep 2019, <https://worldwaterreserve.com/water-crisis/percentage-of-drinkable-water-on-earth/>