Water Pollution and Contamination from Gold Mines: Acid Mine Drainage in Gauteng Province, South Africa

Abstract

Mining of metals such as gold, silver and copper results in the exposure to water and air of rock ore containing sulphides. This leads to the formation of several harmful products such as sulphuric acid. If uncontrolled, the water drainage from such mines may runoff into streams or rivers or leach into groundwater thus ultimately entering the underground water systems (water table) which are interlinked over vast areas. This water flows out of mines, termed Acid Mine Drainage (AMD), is dangerous for people’s health, as well as plants, animals and aquatic life. By the mid-2000s Acid Mine Drainage had reached a crisis point in the Gauteng Province of South Africa, the centre of the gold mining industry in that country. This crisis was simply because some mining companies had abandoned mines without rehabilitating them underground, nor neutralising the above ground mine dumps and slime dams, further resulting in acid mine water flowing into streams, dams and sources of groundwater all over the province. Despite government efforts to get mining companies to take responsibility to ‘clean up’ mine water seepage, mine dumps, and slime dams, outflows of acid mine water continue to pollute water systems throughout Gauteng. This chapter examines the tardy efforts of the central government to enforce the mine rehabilitation and acid mine water neutralisation regulations on mining houses, who themselves have for many years conveniently ignored them in pursuit of maximising profits.