Tags: Coal mining, Water pollution, Water quality, Acidification, Witbank coalfield, Vaal River, Catchments, Groundwater

The Witbank region provides an opportunity to examine the longer term impacts of coal mining, as mining has been in operation there for over a 100 years. The impacts include sterilization of land due to collapse and acidification of soils, but the most severe problem is water pollution, which high and rising. Water in the Middelburg Dam exceeds the quality limits for water for human consumption, and Witbank dam is trending in the same direction. The pollution levels are still rising, notwithstanding mitigation measures that have been taken. The upper Vaal River catchment is relatively unimpacted by mining, but if all the applications for mining permits in this catchment are granted, it is likely that the Vaal River will suffer a similar fate to rivers in the Witbank area, creating serious water supply problems for the industrial heartland of the country.

Coal mining on the Highveld and its implications for future water quality in the Vaal river system.pdf