The impact of post gold mining on mercury pollution in the West Rand region, Gauteng, South Africa

In recent times, there has been a surge in small scale mining activities in Ghana which has made significant contributions to the national gold output, foreign exchange earnings, and employment among others. This paper investigated the impact of small scale gold mining on the living conditions of the people of the West Gonja District in the Northern Region of Ghana. The research involved: (a) the determination of gender and generation roles in small scale mining activities; (b) the determination of the effect of mining activities on employment, education, health, agriculture and cost of living of the people in the district and (c) The identification of the areas of interventions that will eradicate the negative effects of small scale gold mining in the district. Data of sampled households in four communities in Damongo was gathered and analyzed. The research methods included; semi structured interviews, validated self-administered questionnaires and observations. Sampling of communities and households was done using a combination of stratified and simple random sampling procedures. The study revealed varied effects with respect to small scale miners and the general community. Small scale mining has contributed positively in improving the lives of the people in the form of employment, revenue generation and meeting health, educational and basic family needs. It also confirmed the associated social, and environmental negative effects of small scale mining. The paper concludes that in the absence of a viable alternative source of economic livelihood, the West Gonja District Assembly should organize small scale miners into groups, assist them to acquire equipment needed for their operations and regularly monitor and control their activities.

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A Systemic Analysis of the Environmental Impacts of Gold Mining within the Blyde River Catchment, a Strategic Water Area of South Africa

Water ◽

10.3390/w13030301 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 301

Author(s):

Itumeleng M Selebalo ◽

Mary C Scholes ◽

Jai K Clifford-Holmes

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Groundwater Contamination ◽

Gold Mining ◽

Model Development ◽

Water Area ◽

Model Parameters ◽

River Catchment ◽

Olifants River ◽

The Impact ◽

Sd Model

Exploratory modelling of the impact of gold mining on groundwater in a strategic water area of South Africa was undertaken. A systems dynamics (SD) model was developed to simulate the impact of gold mining on water quality, focusing on groundwater contamination risk, within the context of competing developmental priorities around water resource development and the socio-economic gains from gold mining. The model also identified interventions to minimise the impacts by the year 2040. The study area was the Blyde River Catchment (BRC), which is part of the Olifants Water Management Area in South Africa. This area is an important contributor, currently and in the future, to freshwater flows and groundwater in the Olifants River Catchment, which is one of South Africa’s most economically important catchments. The model development process included a causal loop diagram–based problem conceptualisation, followed by the drawing of stock-flow diagrams and the determining of model parameters based on a combination of background literature, data from environmental impact assessments, and from the national Department of Water and Sanitation. The model showed the potential environmental risks of gold mine wastewater production and interventions to minimise these risks. The most effective intervention identified to reduce the risk of groundwater contamination was the development and use of synthetic-lined tailings dams. The baseline simulation result of sulphate loading of 5430 t/year can be reduced by 3070 t/year to give a simulated sulphate load of 2270 t/year in 2040 using this intervention. In comparison, the simulated wastewater recycling intervention only reduced the sulphate load to 4630 t/year and the wastewater treatment interventions to 3420 t/year. This project contributes to the exploratory modelling of an understudied region of the Olifants River Catchment that is a crucial provider of freshwater flows to the Olifants, which is threatened by increasing gold mining in the upper BRC. The SD model highlighted the importance of protecting the dolomitic aquifers in the BRC for the long term sustainability of the catchment, which is particularly important if groundwater development occurs.

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Human dignity - Our supreme constitutional value

Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal/Potchefstroomse Elektroniese Regsblad ◽

10.17159/1727-3781/2001/v4i1a2879 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 42

Author(s):

Nazeem MI Goolam

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Human Dignity ◽

Modern Technology ◽

First Year ◽

Constitutional Court ◽

The West ◽

Plural Society ◽

The Impact ◽

First Time

As far as constitutional interpretation and statutory interpretation in general is concerned, South Africa is undergoing a transformation from a formal, positivistic vision of law to a substantive, natural law vision of law. And the single most significant factor in this transformation is the existence of constitutional values. For the first time in South Africa, courts (in particular the Constitutional Court) must decide cases on the basis of these values. It is therefore simply erroneous and naive to say that 'the Constitutional Court has been so fixated with the role of 'values' in the first year of its existence' and that the court is 'obsessed' with the role of 'values'. Of these values, the three most fundamental in any open and democratic society are human dignity, equality and freedom. Amongst this trinity of values human dignity finds pride of place. Some of the pertinent questions briefly addressed in this article are: (1) What does human dignity entail?; (2) Is human dignity a right or a duty?; (3) How should it be understood in a plural society such as ours?; (4) What about the impact of modern technology on human dignity?; (5) Is our understanding of the concept/value/idea of human dignity not too European/Western in nature? For example, the issue of gays and lesbians is a human rights and human dignity question in the West, while other cultures find homosexuality abhorrent and uncivilized; and (6) Should we explore a religious and spiritual philosophy of human dignity?

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Threats and opportunities for post-closure development in dolomitic gold mining areas of the West Rand and Far West Rand (South Africa) – a hydraulic view Part 3: Planning and uncertainty – lessons from history

Water SA ◽

10.4314/wsa.v36i1.50910 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

E.J Stoch ◽

F Winde

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Gold Mining ◽

The West ◽

Mining Areas

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Pencemaran merkuri di perairan dan karakteristiknya: suatu kajian kepustakaan ringkas

DEPIK ◽

10.13170/depik.5.1.3968 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

M. Adlim

Keyword(s):

Methyl Mercury ◽

Gold Mining ◽

Elemental Mercury ◽

Mercury Pollution ◽

Environmental Damage ◽

Mining Activities ◽

Sea Bed ◽

Local Media ◽

Poorly Soluble ◽

The Impact

Abstract. The issue of mercury pollution in Aceh waters, Indonesiadue to gold mining activities hasbeen a polemic in local media and Aceh Local Government and the communities have much concern on this case. The impact of mercury pollution in the Teunom and Tangse (Aceh)rivers was often assumed that it has similarity with Minamatapollution in Japan. This article intends to enlighten the characteristic mercury either as elements or compounds including methyl mercury which is highly toxic. Gold mining using elemental mercury is poorly soluble in water, the solubility is only 0.06 g per ton of mercury but the solubility can increase indark the sea-bed and ina lot of dissolved oxygen. Based on the properties of solubility, it is understood that the mercury levels in the Teunom and Tangse rivers still below the tolerance limit, but the gold mining activities still bringsthe risk of environmental damage especially inadequate supervision. Many researchers were trying to prove the natural conversionfrom mercury into methyl mercury (biomethylation) but they usedthe salt instead of the elemental mercury in their experiments. Methyl mercury is found in nature, but the process mercury conversion into methyl mercury compound is still controversial and it has not obtained adequate evidence for the natural alteration,therefore gold pollution which is due to releasing elemental mercury into environment might not be analogue to Minamata case.Keywords: Aceh; Methyl-mercury; Minamata; Mining; Gold Abstrak. Informasi pencemaran merkuri di perairan Aceh dan kaitannya dengan aktivitas pertambangan emas telah menjadi polemik sehingga menjadi perhatian Pemda Aceh dan Masyarakat. Dampak pencemaran merkuri di Sungai Teunom dan Tangse sering dianalogikan dengan kasus pencemaran merkuri di teluk Minamata, Jepang. Artikel ini bermaksud memberi pencerahan kharakteristik merkuri baik sebagai unsur maupun sebagai senyawa seperti metil merkuri yang sangat beracun. Penambangan emas menggunakan unsur merkuri yang sukar larut dalam air, kelarutannya hanya 0,06 g per ton unsur merkuri namun kelarutannya dapat meningkat jika di dasar laut yang gelap dan banyak oksigen terlarut. Berdasarkan sifat kelarutannya, dapat dipahami bahwa kadar merkuri di Sungai Teunom masih di bawah batas toleransi, namun aktivitas penambangan emas tetap saja memiliki resiko kerusakan lingkungan apalagi jika tidak mendapat pengawasan yang memadai. Banyak peneliti berusaha membuktikan perubahan merkuri menjadi metil merkuri (biometilasi) tetapi mereka menggunakan garam merkuri dan bukan unsur merkuri dalam ekperimen mereka. Metil merkuri memang ditemukan di alam tetapi proses perubahan dari senyawa merkuri menjadi metil merkuri masih diperdebatkan dan belum diperoleh bukti yang kuat perubahan dari unsur merkuri menjadi metil merkuri dalam air sehingga di Peraian Aceh belum tentu tercemar metil merkuri sebagaimana kasus Minamata.Kata kunci: Aceh; metil-merkuri; minamata; penambangan; emas

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