Water reclamation

The Kromdraai Colliery opencast pit was decommissioned in 2016. Illegal mining in 2022 caused an acid mine water spill into a nearby stream. The illegal miners were removed from the property and a decision was made to treat the water remaining in the pit to a quality so that it can be discharged into the nearby stream. To this end de-watering boreholes will be drilled and the water pumped via pipelines to a holding dam from where the water will be taken through a modified existing liming plant and a new Water Treatment Plant to be finally discharged into the existing stream.

Situated in eMalahleni, the “place of coal”, in the Mpumalanga Province, this project turns mine water from old mining areas into portable water for consumption by the local municipality. V&M were key role players in this “first-for-South-Africa” project which features a Water Treatment Plant that abstracts and treats polluted mine-water and transforms it into quality drinking water that is then sold back to the local municipality. The processes incorporated in this plant include the neutralisation, clarification, ultra-filtration and evaporation processes. This project reflects the work done by the coal mines on water management while taking cognisance of the water management needs in the Upper Olifants River catchment area.