Water crisis demands serious response
The Managing Director of Richards Bay Minerals, MPHO MOTHOA, gives his views on the drought and steps taken to ensure it's business as usual
THERE are some things we don’t know in relation to the current water crisis.
We don’t know how long the current crisis will last. We don’t know how much of it is owing to global climate anomalies.
What we do know is that El Niño conditions generally coincide with periods of reduced rainfall and heightened temperatures in the central and eastern parts of our country
We do know that in the long-term global warming will alter our weather patterns.
We don’t know exactly how.
We do know that it won’t be the last time South Africa suffers from water shortages.
Droughts aside, South Africa is a dry country. Our average annual rainfall is about half the global average.
We know that even in the absence of acute drought, we need to prepare for a water-scarce future.
Supply is essential
We know that water is absolutely essential: to life, to dignity and to our economy.
Water is essential to the operations of Richards Bay Minerals, for example, which take place in a water-scarce region that features valuable native ecosystems.
There is no ambiguity here – in the absence of water our operations cease.
That is why we manage every aspect of our relationship with water to ensure that we don’t take a drop for granted.
To limit the amount of freshwater we use, we capture and recycle about seven million cubic metres of process water, rainwater and run-off from our smelting and processing facilities each year.
We reuse our water up to 21 times.
Process water and seepage from tailings stockpiles is recovered and treated, effluent is recycled for use in mining operations.
RBM’s 37-year-old award-winning dune conservation programme relies on the use of water-efficient tree species and planting methods to achieve its rehabilitation goals.
We have in place a water conservation strategy that is predicated on partnerships, technological advances and behavioural change.
We are working with local authorities and government to implement water-saving projects.
We have worked hard to instill a culture of water conservancy amongst our employees and local communities.
And we are proud of the fact that in 2013 the Department of Water & Sanitation crowned RBM as the winner in the Water Conservation and Water Demand Sector category.
By implementing our strategy and water efficiency programme, we have reduced our water abstraction from natural sources by a third since 2011.
We know that we cannot continue to use clean water once and simply flush it down the drain.
