JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Department of Water Affairs (DWA) on Friday inserted pumps into the Witwatersrand Central basin acid mine drainage (AMD) facility, in Germiston, bringing the R319-million project closer to operation.

The Central basin pump station, AMD neutralisation facility and waste sludge pipeline, construction of which started in January last year, formed a part of the DWA’s short-term solution aimed at addressing current and near-future AMD risks.

Also included in the short-term solution, valued at R2.2-billion, were AMD treatment facilities in the Western basin, which had been operational since August 2012, and planned AMD treatment infrastructure for the Eastern basin for which a contract would be awarded next month.

“Today, we have come to lower these state-of-the-art pumps into the newly built pump station which will convey the AMD from deep in the mine void to the surface where it will be treated and made safe for the environment.

“This process will ensure that the AMD does not reach the environmental critical level, which is prescribed by our legislation, and will also guarantee the safety of the environment and the people,” Water Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said on Friday.

The Central basin AMD treatment facility would be commissioned this month and was expected to be operational by the end of April.

The facility would have the capacity to treat about 57-million litres of AMD a day, after which the water would be discharged into the Klip river.

Molewa pointed out that the treated decant would not impact negatively on the Vaal river water system, to which the Klip river contributed.

The Minister, however, emphasised that this was only a short-term solution, as the treated water would still contain high salt loads, adding that government was working on a longer-term solution that would include a desalination process.

“We are confident that we will have begun to implement this long-term solution, [of which the feasibility study has just been concluded], by 2015/16,” Molewa stated.

DWA deputy director-general Trevor Balzer pointed out that, as part of the long-term solution, the AMD water would be treated to a potable level and be used to augment the Vaal river system, in effect, turning the “problem into an opportunity”.

“The amount of AMD that will be put into the system as treated water in the long-term scheme will contribute between 50-million cubic litres and 70-million cubic litres a year. That is about 8% of the yield from the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, and is about 3.5% to 4% of the amount of water [supplied by] Rand Water to Gauteng every day,” he explained.

AMD was not unique to the Witwatersrand and other mining areas, such as Mpumalanga, the Free State and the Northern Cape, could also face AMD challenges in future.

“A proactive approach is required to prevent a duplication of the [Witwatersrand] situation in other mining areas and, in this regard, we will continuously apply regulatory mechanisms for the adoption and implementation of long-term AMD and mine water management strategies by mining companies,” Molewa said.

She added that these strategies had been drafted and would “hopefully” feature in the inter-Ministerial Committee meeting next week.

“This will be a strategy that is intended to look at a fully sustainable solution and proactiveness to ensure that we don’t come across a similar problem in future,”Molewa said.

She noted that the DWA was grateful for the participation of all stakeholders towards the achievement of these objectives, but said “we are seeing some mining houses still lagging behind”.

“We are making a request for those companies to please come on board and ensure that you become good citizens of this country [working] towards environmental sustainability and [for] the good of our people. Let us not be required to drag you screaming and kicking,” said Molewa.