It’s World Water Week which is an awareness drive that aims to address the global crisis under the theme: “water for development”. Our Coal business in South Africa is helping to lead the way in water treatment technology and innovation.
Water supply is fundamental to our coal mining operations, particularly to keep the dust levels down. With nine of our ten collieries situated in the water-challenged Mpumalanga coalfields, we have implemented a range of initiatives to preserve this precious resource.
eMalahleni Water Reclamation Plant
The most well-known is our flagship eMalahleni Water Reclamation Plant. 'eMalahleni', as it is known, can claim the accolade of being the only mining initiative to be endorsed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Momentum for Change Initiative at COP 17 in 2011.
The plant effectively addresses operational challenges resulting from rising mine water levels and recycling polluted water into the environment.
Our Coal SA CEO, Themba Mkhwanazi says, "The eMalahleni Water Reclamation plant was designed with sustainability in mind. It takes into account the remaining 20 to 25 year life of contributing mines, and will cater for communities long after our mines close. Ultimately it will help address long-term climate adaptation risks and promote a sustainable future for the region, providing better flexibility and self-sufficiency in terms of water usage, not only for the mines but for the surrounding communities in which we operate."
Water is purified to potable quality by reverse osmosis and is then sent on for use by various nearby Anglo American mines and to the eMalahleni Local Municipality. The plant currently meets around 12% of the water-stressed local municipality’s water requirements through the supply of 16 million litres a day into the Municipal reticulation system.
To date, the eMalahleni Water Reclamation Plant has treated in excess of 70 billion litres of water, 50 billion of which has been sent to the local municipality. Through eMalahleni, Coal South Africa has committed to achieving an overall saving of 11.2% by 2020.
Where do we get all this water to purify?
Through our Landau, Greenside and Kleinkopje collieries, as well as BHP Billiton’s defunct South Witbank mine. These mines currently pipe through 30 million litres of water to the plant daily. This capacity is on track to be increased to 50 million litres a day through the current construction of Phase II of the facility.
“The theme for this year’s World Water Week is Water for Development, which reminds us that we have a responsibility to ensure water security for our operations without compromising water resources for other users. If the demands on a limited resource are growing then we have to use what is available more efficiently.” added Themba.
With water reserves quickly depleting, South Africa may soon be facing a water crisis. In fact, experts have predicted that the demand for water in the country will greater than supply by 2025 – a mere decade away.
Although mining accounts for a comparatively low 3% of the country’s water usage, our sector has a significant role to play in driving efficiencies in water conservation. This is why we continuously strive to recycle as much water as possible, to the point that in 2014 69% of the water we used in our operations across the globe came from recycled sources.
Together, we can save what is arguably our most precious resource. Without water, life could not flourish so it’s our responsibility, and yours, to conserve it wherever we can.
Find out more about how we address our global water challenges.