Abstract
In Chap. 4, the nature of the Vaal River system and the significance of AMD in South Africa were discussed. The situation in each of the basins in the Witwatersrand was explained. AMD is caused by abandoned mines or those that became liquidated and were no longer active and had to shut down their operations. Thus, the problem is not new but one that has been developing and becoming more severe throughout the years, especially since 2002, when there have been cases of harm to the environment. What is transparently evident thus far is that AMD is a concern and the parties concerned, irrespective of who remains responsible at this stage, have to ensure that consistent and adequate clean-up takes place so that the earth’s resources can be preserved and the principles of sustainable development are abided by.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Parts of this chapter derive from Naidoo, S. 2015. ‘An assessment of the impacts of acid mine drainage on socio-economic development in the Witwatersrand: South Africa’. Environment, Development and Sustainability journal, Springer 16 (6): 1045–1063.
References
Aurecon (2013). Aurecon South Africa Information Manual. Aurecon Group. Available from http://www.aurecongroup.co.za/en/about/about-aurecon.aspx. Accessed November 27, 2013.
Braune, E., Adams, S., & Fourie, F. (2014). 20 years of groundwater research, development and implementation in South Africa 1994–2014. Department of Water and Sanitation. Available from https://www.dwa.gov.za/groundwater/documents.aspx. Accessed March 18, 2016.
Cobbing, J. E. (2008). Institutional linkages and acid mine drainage: The case of the Western basin in South Africa. Water Resources Development, 24(3), 451–462.
Coetzee, H., Hobbs, P. J., Burgess, J. E., Thomas, A., & Keet, M. (Eds.). (2010). Mine water management in the Witwatersrand Gold Fields with special emphasis on acid mine drainage. Report to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Acid Mine Drainage. Pretoria: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. Available from http://www.dwaf.gov.za/Documents/ACIDReport.pdf. Accessed February 24, 2012.
Cox, A. (2014). Water purification to cost billions. The Star, November 5, 2015.
Department of Water Affairs (DWA). (2012). Feasibility study for a long-term solution to address the acid mine drainage associated with the East, Central and West Rand underground mining basins. Study Report No. 1: Inception Report—DWA Report No.: P RSA 000/00/16112. Pretoria: DWA. Available from http://www.dwaf.gov.za/Projects/AMDFSLTS/Documents/AMD%20FS%20LTS_Assessment%20of%20the%20Water%20Quantity%20&%20Quality%20of%20the%20Mine%20Voids%20(Draft%20Report).pdf. Accessed April 14, 2013.
Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). (2015). Minister Nomvula Mokonyane moves to allay fears on Acid Mine Water Treatment Plans. Available from http://www.gov.za/speeches/minister-moves-allay-fears-acid-mine-water-treatment-plans-8-sep-2015-0000. Accessed April 23, 2016.
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). (2008). Best practice guideline G5: Water management aspects for mine closure. Pretoria: DWAF. Available from http://www.bullion.org.za/documents/g5-water-management-aspects-for-mine-closure.pdf. Accessed October 12, 2013
Environment News. (2015). Disused Mines South Africa—What’s Being Done. Environment News. April 29, 2015. Available from http://www.environment.co.za/acid-mine-drainage-amd/disused-mines-whats-being-done.html. Accessed April 24, 2016.
Fig, D. (2011). Corrosion and externalities: The socio-economic impacts of acid mine drainage on the Witwatersrand. In J. Daniel, P. Naidoo, D. Pillay, & R. Southall (Eds.), New South African Review 2. Johannesburg: Wits University Press.
Frankson, L. (2015). Water management unit to deal with AMD. Infrastructure news and service delivery. September 8, 2012. Available from http://www.infrastructurene.ws/2015/09/08/water-management-unit-to-deal-with-amd/. Accessed April 5, 2015.
Funke, N., Nienaber, S., & Gioia, C. (2013). An interest group at work: Environmental activism and the case of acid mine drainage on Johannesburg’s West Rand. In H. A. Thuynsma (Ed.), Public opinion and interest group politics: South Africa’s missing links? Pretoria: African Institute of South Africa.
Gordhan, P. (2013). 2013 budget speech. Minister of Finance, National Treasury. 27 February 2013. Available at http://www.treasury.gov.za/documents/national%20budget/2013/speech/speech.pdf. Accessed 10 May 2016.
Hartnady, C., Turton, A., & Mlisa, A. (2011). Feasibility study on reclamation of mine residue areas for development purposes: Phase II. Strategy and implementation plan. Johannesburg: Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Available from http://www.gdard.gpg.gov.za/…/%20and%20Rehabilitation%20of%20Mine%20Residue. Accessed November 25, 2013.
Hobbs, P., Oelofse, S. H. H., & Rascher, J. (2008). Management of environmental impacts from coal mining in the upper Olifants River catchment as a function of age and scale. Water Resources Development, 24(3), 417–431. Available from http://www.orangesenqurak.com/UserFiles/File/OtherV2/Management%20of%20Environmental%20Impacts%20from%20Coal%20Mining%20Hobbs%20et%20al.%202010.pdf. Accessed April 14, 2012.
Kolver, L. (2013). Shift from ‘blame seeking’ will aid efforts to tackle SA’s AMD challenge. Mining Weekly. August 16, 2013. Available from http://www.miningweekly.com/article/shift-from-blame-seeking-will-aid-efforts-to-tackle-sas-acid-mine-drainage-challenge-2013-08-16-1. Accessed August 19, 2013.
Liefferink (2013). FSE: Comment on DWA AMD solution. August 12, 2013. Federation for a Sustainable Environment. Available from http://www.fse.org.za/index.php/mining-nuclear/item/331-fse-comment-on-dwa-amd-solution. Accessed December 2, 2013.
Matthews, C. (2016). Acid mine drainage: Solution not seeping out. Financial Mail, April 21, 2016. Available from http://www.financialmail.co.za/features/2016/04/21/acid-mine-drainage-solution-not-seeping-out. Accessed April 29, 2016.
Mouton, S. (2013). Mines face acidic water lawsuit. Times Live, March 14, 2013. Available from http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2013/03/14/mines-face-acidic-water-lawsuit. Accessed April 25, 2013.
Nene, N. (2015). 2015 budget speech. Minister of Finance, National Treasury. 25 February 2015. Available at http://www.treasury.gov.za/documents/national%20budget/2015/speech/speech.pdf. Accessed 10 May 2016.
Noseweek (2013). Here comes the poison. Noseweek, April 2013.
Oelofse, S. H. H., Hobbs, P. J., Rascher, J., & Cobbing, J. E. (2007). The pollution and destruction threat of gold mining waste on the Witwatersrand: A West Rand case study. Natural resources and the environment. Pretoria: CSIR.
Republic of South Africa (RSA). (1996). The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act 108 of 1996). Government Gazette. Pretoria: Government Printer.
Republic of South Africa (RSA). (1998a). National Water Act, 1998 (Act 36 of 1998). Government Gazette. Pretoria: Government Printer. Available from http://www.dwaf.gov.za/Documents/Legislature/nw_act/NWA.pdf. Accessed April 14, 2013.
Republic of South Africa (RSA). (1998b). National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act 107 of 1998). Government Gazette. Pretoria: Government Printer. Available from http://www.google.co.za/search?q=National+Environmental+Management+Act%2C+1998+%28Act+no.+of+1998%29.+Government+Gazette&hl=en-ZA. Accessed April 14, 2013.
Republic of South Africa (RSA). (2002). Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002. (Act 28 of 2002). Government Gazette. Pretoria: Government Printer. Available from http://www.parliament.gov.za/…/b%2015%20%202013%20(mineral%20and%20petroleum%20resources%20dev. Accessed March 25, 2013.
South African Government News Agency (SAnews). (2015). Unit to take Acid Mine Drainage head on. Available from http://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/unit-take-acid-mine-drainage-head. Accessed April 22, 2016.
Taylor, T. (2014). Drain acidic mines at value. The Star, July 17, 2014.
Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA). (2011). AMD Witwatersrand basin: Due diligence: Presentation to Portfolio Committee. Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG), September 6, 2011. In Acid Mine Drainage Reports: Department, Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority, & Mintek. Cape Town: Portfolio Committee on Water and Environmental Affairs. Available from http://www.pmg.org.za/20110907-department-water-and-environmenal-affairs-briefing-acid-mine-drainage. Accessed March 12, 2012.
Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA). (2012). “New beginnings”. Annual Report 2012/2013. Available from http://www.tcta.co.za/Publications/AnnualReports/Annual%20Report%202013.pdf. Accessed April 25, 2013.
Turton, A. R. (1988). The hydropolitics of Southern Africa: The case of the Zambezi River basin as an area of potential co-operation based on Allen’s concept of virtual water’. Unpublished MA dissertation, University of South Africa, Pretoria.
Turton, A. R. (2009). South African water and mining policy: A study of strategies for transition management. In D. Huitema & S. Mejerink (Eds.), Water policy entrepreneurs: A research companion to water transitions around the globe (pp. 195–214). Cheltenham: Edgar Elgar.
Turton, A. R. (2013a). Facebook update, August 15, 2013. Available from https://www.facebook.com/dr.anthony.turton/timeline/2013. Accessed August 18, 2013.
Turton, A. R. (2013b). Harnessing the power of change. Available from http://www.anthonyturton.com/about.asp. Accessed November 2, 2013.
Turton, A. R. (2013c). Significant progress in the battle against AMD. PositionIT. Water Stewardship Council of Southern Africa. Available from http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs106/1101623328228/archive/1114454024917.html. Accessed February 10, 2014.
Van Wyk, J. J., Rademeyer, J. I., & van Rooyen, J. A. (2010). Position statement on the Vaal River system and acid mine drainage. Pretoria: DWA.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Naidoo, S. (2017). The Policy Response to Acid Mine Drainage in the Gold-Mining Sector. In: Acid Mine Drainage in South Africa. SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44435-2_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44435-2_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-44434-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-44435-2
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)