Acid Mine Drainage – is this the end of life in Gauteng?

<p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><em><span style="color:#990000;"><strong><span style="color:#990000;">It's taken the government 14 years to take the issue of AMD (acid mine drainage) seriously and focus on finding practical solutions – and even to acknowledge the importance of enforcing compliance and regular inspection! What is lacking is the political will and commitment to implement plans and apportion liability. AMD on the Witwatersrand has now reached a crisis point.</span></strong></span></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><em><span style="color:#990000;"></span></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbqzNUvHYoGOKwiHY6peO0dv6ED5AnuxwpKXBvi_77PUYLDt9O2fC16UOmyJ73RqmnC2hXB5xgjoToAzdeSUyZsyZsYRg8NxoZxV2edkWFdcV6hcClq5XOMl5PiUpnphyluHaMdVutgTk/s1600/dead-carp-in-lake-300x224.jpg"><strong><span style="color:#000066;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562581434539776162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbqzNUvHYoGOKwiHY6peO0dv6ED5AnuxwpKXBvi_77PUYLDt9O2fC16UOmyJ73RqmnC2hXB5xgjoToAzdeSUyZsyZsYRg8NxoZxV2edkWFdcV6hcClq5XOMl5PiUpnphyluHaMdVutgTk/s400/dead-carp-in-lake-300x224.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 224px; CURSOR: hand" /></span></strong></a><span style="color:black;">While South Africans are witnessing the “catastrophe”, the government committees are debating the water crisis in boardrooms, and nothing has been done to prevent the decanting of acid mine water. The first AMD (acid mine drainage) decant that occurred on the West Rand in 2002, was predicted in 1996. When will the department of water affairs recognise the situation for what it is – a pending disaster! Decisive action has become imperative as acidic mine water has now reached the Cradle of Humankind from the West Rand.</span></em></span> </p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><em><span style="color:black;">In July 2010 the department stated that potential decant within the Johannesburg area could take place within 18 months, or by early 2012. Those 18 months had now shrunk to 12 months. </span></em></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><em><span style="color:black;">It is all very well that the inter-ministerial committee appointed by the department of water affairs to investigate, completed its work, but besides the announcement of a report of which the findings were never made public, we have heard nothing further. </span></em></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><em><span style="color:black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwnPKDBXKXTTZJIJzzNlE70sj89sHaYVK-MO-eyvjAENmTjjS-Ty0euA0899UzJqOW1pVe6nhwDfSs6bYp0XgQM1B65dPf21RkpMVThsDT_hkMKOKcdZmUBk7wCU3wg9Zmgzz5Gmopsrx/s1600/fish-dead-acid-mine-water-pollution.jpg"><span style="color:black;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562581638293968370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwnPKDBXKXTTZJIJzzNlE70sj89sHaYVK-MO-eyvjAENmTjjS-Ty0euA0899UzJqOW1pVe6nhwDfSs6bYp0XgQM1B65dPf21RkpMVThsDT_hkMKOKcdZmUBk7wCU3wg9Zmgzz5Gmopsrx/s400/fish-dead-acid-mine-water-pollution.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 350px; CURSOR: hand" /></span></a>Due to governments delays in dealing with AMD and given the huge volumes of AMD currently decanting, inadequate treatment methods (i.e. neutralisation) may have to be implemented in the short term – at the expense of our environment, health and economy! The threats are massive: Not only our water, but our health and food security is compromised. It is worrying that instead of scientific research and engineering, Ministers are calling for simplistic and quick solutions. Acid mine drainage is the most significant environmental threat facing South Africa and is going to take billions of Rands and will involve all sectors of society for many decades, if not centuries, to come.. We wait with bated breath to hear what Cabinet determines is the way forward!</span></em></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><em><span style="color:black;"><strong>Footnote:</strong><br />For the record: A serious case of insufficient funds again! Government lacks the R1.5-billion needed for a 10-year rehabilitation plan. Just one pump to remove the water costs R218-million, but the current budget for this is R14-million. Which begs the question - Was the multibillion-rand Arms Deal, the R40-billion World Cup Soccer, the R21-billion Gauteng F</span></em></span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><em><span style="color:black;">reeway system or Cuba's R1.1-billion freebie a life and death situation? And what of our Disney World that is expected to cost R25-billion? Or is this #101 failure of government where self-help is the order of the day - 'Water is Life' - do you think this may have dawned on anyone in government?<br /></span></em><br /><strong>Radioactive Pollution Acid Mine Water reaches Cradle of Mankind</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFZY-mK0jyDFgL9bkmB8-THNZNwch7p6YSSxqtEcQzbjk3_iGdHdS-pCAM3e958umh1LLsz9J_tGZey9eyAz_Mnt3UAK-OuVz7uoM9MebEpQkaToAQ1C0mRidKzIQ7Tqm-wRkMtaH8McC/s1600/AMD-west-rand-gold-fields-300x225.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562579888284327842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFZY-mK0jyDFgL9bkmB8-THNZNwch7p6YSSxqtEcQzbjk3_iGdHdS-pCAM3e958umh1LLsz9J_tGZey9eyAz_Mnt3UAK-OuVz7uoM9MebEpQkaToAQ1C0mRidKzIQ7Tqm-wRkMtaH8McC/s400/AMD-west-rand-gold-fields-300x225.png" style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Acidic mine water that has been bubbling out of an old ventilation shaft on the West Rand for the past year has now reached the Cradle of Mankind and caused<strong> the deaths of over 60 carp in a dam.</strong><br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;color:#000099;">Radioactive dam left after failure to rehabilitate mine</span></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><br />This stream runs from the Tweelopiespruit, which springs from the radioactive Robinson lake outside Randfontein. From here it runs through the Krugersdorp game reserve, "over" the Sterkfontein Caves, right through the Cradle of Mankind up to the Crocodile River, which runs into the Hartbeespoort Dam.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nknsvTYnOf8y2AmCIlW2h3_73I6xF3fo0JBnhvJFOsok9aEPEcc209kluwOIKeqbiyXxGdK5GDH-NGVK08gwm5MpQjLCcg5UN82Rs0oF3btt2En4mfcBYhS3Jyo9SsLdwNM-LWUCSs2t/s1600/AMD-Tweelopies-downstream-from-Hippo-Dam-201x300.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562580534379801698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nknsvTYnOf8y2AmCIlW2h3_73I6xF3fo0JBnhvJFOsok9aEPEcc209kluwOIKeqbiyXxGdK5GDH-NGVK08gwm5MpQjLCcg5UN82Rs0oF3btt2En4mfcBYhS3Jyo9SsLdwNM-LWUCSs2t/s400/AMD-Tweelopies-downstream-from-Hippo-Dam-201x300.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 201px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Neil Norquoy from Wild Cave Adventures found the dead fish on the farm Koelenhof on Thursday.<br /><br />The farm is about 10km northeast of the place where<strong> millions of litres</strong> of acidic mine water has been leaking on the West Rand since last year.<br /><br />The dam is situated about 3km northeast of the Sterkfontein Caves.<br /><br />The pollution had spread from the old Rand Uranium goldmine on the West Rand and has now spread north to within the Cradle of Mankind.<br /><br />At this stage, it has already passed the Sterkfontein Caves as the Blaaubankspruit runs "over" the Sterkfontein Caves.<br /><br />Water specialist Garfield Krige said he believed the acidic mine water of the West Rand had reached the Hartbeespoort Dam "long ago".<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8slf-lyuuoZSXnoBP_ZbP_YVix5HguFzN8FmzZ6HeNWwfs5fSHcsfNfCCAMEEtpHJgP79NLd3tHG2GtoHWg66MYS_6SjZXds_Ik4XzNtROxJ7wR1QvpCtuFsu0S08CZPfeSukr867DGrZ/s1600/AMD-Tweelopiespruit.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562581027229956370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8slf-lyuuoZSXnoBP_ZbP_YVix5HguFzN8FmzZ6HeNWwfs5fSHcsfNfCCAMEEtpHJgP79NLd3tHG2GtoHWg66MYS_6SjZXds_Ik4XzNtROxJ7wR1QvpCtuFsu0S08CZPfeSukr867DGrZ/s400/AMD-Tweelopiespruit.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>The <strong>heavy rains</strong> over the past two weeks have filled the underground mined-out pockets on the West Rand to such an extent that there are now about 40 million litres of sour mine water in the Tweelopiespruit each day.<br /><br />Krige, who lives in the Cradle of Mankind, said stones in the area where the Blaaubankspruit flowed, are also coloured bright orange.<br /><br />The whole shore area of the Tweelopiespruit is coloured dark orange.</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><strong>What is AMD - Acid Mine Drainage?</strong> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">AMD is a</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> deadly cocktail of chemicals which includes various sulphates, and metals such as lead, magnesium, cadmium, bismuth, and radioactive uranium, strontium (one of uranium’s progeny) and radium which decays into radon, radon gas, polonium, and thorium. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><strong>Ministers 'simple and quick’ solution - neutralisation!</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><br /><strong>What is neutralisation?</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJ08luw5l7QJYaVqpafNoRPd2uEhiLJPCRw2BJPX7ODoSX87V9FYbkuhSrDrwTGBeBFgGtT2CjoqlzgylYe36tBGBtHmnSlKdWKI2_FZkBnQzaqi1bKaptYgoU7rXQ88D5EDUa68vgpSo/s1600/AMD-Crust-that-formed-in-the-Tweelopies-300x201.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562579253686398178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYJ08luw5l7QJYaVqpafNoRPd2uEhiLJPCRw2BJPX7ODoSX87V9FYbkuhSrDrwTGBeBFgGtT2CjoqlzgylYe36tBGBtHmnSlKdWKI2_FZkBnQzaqi1bKaptYgoU7rXQ88D5EDUa68vgpSo/s400/AMD-Crust-that-formed-in-the-Tweelopies-300x201.jpg" style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" /></a>Neutralisation is simply a pH adjustment, for example by adding lime to acid mine water. Neutralisation with lime removes some of the sulphate salts from the water, but not enough. It makes metals fall out of the water to the bottom of the water course.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><br />In the West Rand, neutralisation of AMD has resulted in the discharge of water with high sulphate salt content and a stream lined with metal deposits.<em><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:#000099;">(See photo right and click here:</span> </span></em><a href="http://www.earthlife.org.za/?p=989"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#46743c;"><em>‘Inadequate treatment of acid water flowing into Tweelopiespruit’</em></span></a><em><span style="font-size:85%;">.)</span></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;">Neutralisation also does not deal with radioactive particles from uranium in AMD.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;">For neutralisation to be an effective water treatment method, the water needs to settle in holding tanks and the deposited toxic sludge removed and disposed of safely.<br /><br />(SEE IMAGES AND VIDEO LINKS BELOW)</span> </p><li id="video"><span style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2px"></span><a href="javascript:play_video(" style="COLOR: #3e7095"><span style="font-family:arial;">VIDEO - Part 1 Western Basin flooded with acid mine water</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span></li><li id="video"><span style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2px"></span><a href="javascript:play_video(" style="COLOR: #3e7095"><span style="font-family:arial;">VIDEO - Part 2 Robinson Lake declared radioactive</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span></li><li id="video"><span style="PADDING-RIGHT: 2px"></span><a href="javascript:play_video(" style="COLOR: #3e7095"><span style="font-family:arial;">VIDEO - Part 3 acid mine water spillages</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span></li><p></p>

Acid Mine Drainage – is this the end of life in Gauteng?

It's taken the government 14 years to take the issue of AMD (acid mine drainage) seriously and focus on finding practical solutions – an...

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The thing that drove this family out of South Africa against their will

<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhem6Is57bhWIc-0kbkgruzGYIT58-_jiRzIQIAbYo_lEuXRpTE3MPzr1VhoS_rPQtiLy0HZMH9n4sBAqVKhOfWhDZP3mhkF59NpJ915NXRbGtKBl64mGoKBMQzdK8uipamQGBEK9dqGddN/s1600/BLACK+DEATH.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562142796633149330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhem6Is57bhWIc-0kbkgruzGYIT58-_jiRzIQIAbYo_lEuXRpTE3MPzr1VhoS_rPQtiLy0HZMH9n4sBAqVKhOfWhDZP3mhkF59NpJ915NXRbGtKBl64mGoKBMQzdK8uipamQGBEK9dqGddN/s400/BLACK+DEATH.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;">Alex and his family did not leave this country because of the crumbling public service system. Those problems were “workable”. They had their own electricity generator, purified their own water, and had private health care.<br /><br />Nor were they put off by concerns for the country’s future. Quite the opposite, actually. They were “in for the fight of putting South Africa back together”.<br /><br />Then why did they leave?<br /><br />Alex says they were pushed out of South Africa against their will. He speaks of anger at having to see everything he worked for, for 20 years, go down the drain.<br /><br />People who told him he was brave to immigrate had it all wrong. It had nothing to do with being brave: he was afraid.<br /><br />Fear drove them out of South Africa:<br /><br />Those of you who have been a victim of crime can attest to that cold fear, that fear you can only know once you have been through it and if you're lucky survived.<br /><br />I remember one of the cops who found me tied up after one of the incidents saying to me: "You don't get a second chance like this twice in life".</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><br />After three home invasions and two shootings while shopping at their local mall, the family came to the end of their tether:<br /><br />I had reached a point where I was surviving on two hours sleep a night for two years and we were literally taking shifts.<br /><br />I can't say I miss South Africa because the lifestyle I missed is no longer there; one cannot braai outside without half an eye out for intruders, one can no longer simply sleep on the beach or the side of the road during holidays, nor really go for walks and enjoy nature, one cannot go out and enjoy a summers evening without constantly watching your back.<br /><br />So while I do miss the days of doing that, I know that it does not exist for now in South Africa and therefore there is nothing to miss.<br /><br />So for now I am happy doing my own laundry, it really doesn't take that long and is a good education for the kids, I no longer have a drunk gardener I am terrified of firing for fear of reprisal, knocking on my windows and harassing the household when he's been drinking. Or a security guard who may just turn on me one day. Yes I do miss the days when people had respect for people and life in South Africa and life was good.... </span><a href="http://www.news24.com/MyNews24/Beyond-Borders/Most-expats-didnt-want-to-leave-20110104"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;color:#996699;">but that no longer exists there</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"> black or white.<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:100%;">I want to point out that this family’s living standard was way above average. Most South Africans don’t employ servants and security guards. And just as well. A cop once told me that practically all house robberies are inside jobs.</span></em></span> <p>

The thing that drove this family out of South Africa against their will

Alex and his family did not leave this country because of the crumbling public service system. Those problems were “workable”. They had thei...

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Who's Fooling Who

<p align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Matric results 'manipulated'</span></strong> <p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;color:#990000;"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEwLlWFklgLI4U3Gyp8bQckqcW8J8BAaMwY7i-yFDf-uKQVxG_KR0ATcOI-UnO5VAkHjuBMuBSgg_gnvPK3Tw9eBBSEHTB9QGFM0dC87CbU4ITJJHUuBcSPf3N00Z1fDa3t83s0aQS_i6/s1600/education.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1em; MARGIN-RIGHT: 1em"><img border="0" height="441" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEwLlWFklgLI4U3Gyp8bQckqcW8J8BAaMwY7i-yFDf-uKQVxG_KR0ATcOI-UnO5VAkHjuBMuBSgg_gnvPK3Tw9eBBSEHTB9QGFM0dC87CbU4ITJJHUuBcSPf3N00Z1fDa3t83s0aQS_i6/s640/education.jpg" width="640" /></a> </strong></span></p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both" class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioEwLlWFklgLI4U3Gyp8bQckqcW8J8BAaMwY7i-yFDf-uKQVxG_KR0ATcOI-UnO5VAkHjuBMuBSgg_gnvPK3Tw9eBBSEHTB9QGFM0dC87CbU4ITJJHUuBcSPf3N00Z1fDa3t83s0aQS_i6/s1600/education.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1em; MARGIN-RIGHT: 1em"></a></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">by Peter Gibbs<br /></span></em><br />It would appear to me that the pass percentage for the 2010 exam results is being manipulated to make the Department of Education (read Minister) look good.<br /><br />I quote: "The Chief Director of Exams Nkosinathi Sishi said 364 513 pupils passed their exams. There were 643 546 candidates who sat for the exams, of whom 537 543 wrote all seven subjects."<br /><br />If one calculates the number of learners that passed as a percentage of the learners that "wrote all seven subjects" then the figure of 67.8% is correct.<br /><br />But what happened to the 106 003 learners, the difference between the 643 546 candidates, who sat the exam and the 537 543 candidates who wrote all seven subjects?<br /><br />They seem to mysteriously have fallen into one of the gaping cracks in the South African education system.<br /><br />Calculating the number of learners who passed as a percentage of the number who "sat" the exam one gets a new and more realistic figure of 56.6%.<br /><br />This would appear to me to be the true percentage as surely those that did not complete the exams must still remain part of the statistics.<br /><br />I don't know how the number-crunching was done last year, so cannot comment whether the percentage is up or down on last year.<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">www.news24.com/</span></em></span><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#990000;">SA Education system the 4th worst in the world according to Newsweek<br /></span></strong><br />Bottom of the pile - Newsweek‘s (16 August 2010) list of the world’s best countries put South Africa at 82nd overall, and ranks our education system 97th out of 100, which is 4th from the bottom. South Africa’s education performance is even ranked below countries like Mozambique, Bangladesh and Iran, states less wealthy or less free.<br /><br />Let's be honest: our dysfunctional education system cannot continue as is. We've known this for a long time, and now the international community knows it. We've won a pitiful "race to the bottom", something for which we should feel ashamed. Now it's time to make the hard decisions, commit to a standard of excellence, and get our education system on track.</span></span><p>

Who's Fooling Who

Matric results 'manipulated' by Peter Gibbs It would appear to me that the pass percentage for the 2010 exam results is being mani...

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