Mining is a major contributor to water pollution and the impact seems to have peaked. There are reports of radioactive and heavy-metal contaminated sediment polluting water to the extent that fish die and livestock miscarry. Rudi Massyn spoke to Marius Keet, regional deputy director of water quality at the Gauteng Department of Water Affairs and Forestry.
It’s going to cost mines a lot of money to clean up the mess they’ve made. Wouldn’t it be better to prevent them from dumping into rivers in the first place?
It doesn’t help if the mines clean up in between and then continue polluting, so we are issuing new mining licenses. And the National Nuclear Regulator is issuing directives to stop the mines from polluting at source.
There are supposed to be trenches next to mine dumps, acting as a barrier against water contaminated with radioactive sand and dust, but around one particular dump the trench is too shallow, and water gets through.
That’s not supposed to happen. It’s one of the things we’ve identified as a “hot spot”.
Is radioactive sand from mine dumps dangerous?
Yes, it’s not allowed to get into the rivers.
Are our rivers under threat?
I won’t say we’re in trouble. There definitely isn’t a crisis, but I think the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) should act against irresponsible municipalities.
What are you going to do about the farmer Adriaan Rheeder of Fochville?
He can’t farm because his livestock miscarry due to contaminated water. There is no evidence linking the polluted water to the miscarriages.
Why would he say that then?
Telling people his water is polluted will lower the value of his land.
I know, but another farmer, Gerhard Visser, lets his cattle drink from the Wonderfonteinspruit.
So are you saying cattle can drink from it?
No, people should rather not, but it’s purely a preventative measure. Visser’s cattle drink from it and it’s not a problem. He’s one of the best farmers in the country.
Do you think farmers in the area are trying to make money from the mines, keeping in mind that selling farms to them takes years?
My advice to the mines is not to buy. Where do you stop? What is pollution? How do you prove pollution? If they buy one farm and then another next door, where do you stop?
Has DWAF got enough money to throw at the problem?
It’s the mines that need to pay. The taxpayer shouldn’t have to pay and the mines are willing to pay.
Do you think the mines’ pollution has been left unaddressed for so long because they contribute so much to the economy?
No, I think we’ve moved past that point.
It seems everybody is looking out for their own interests. As a government official I answer to the minister and president. If you ask me there’s definitely a problem, but not an acute problem. The stuff in the sediment has to be cleaned. I don’t believe anyone has died of cancer because of it, but it’s irresponsible to leave it.
It’s being denied, but are people getting sick from this water?
The people living next to the rivers should be getting their water from the municipality. That is not DWAF’s responsibility. |fw
