Namibia is known as water stressed country with a limited amount of fresh water. Therefore, the use of water is an important topic in the country's development agenda. Water is a shared and finite resource, with high social, cultural, environmental and economic value. However, freshwater resources are under pressure from ore processing, industrialization, urbanization and the demands of a growing population. In Namibia, ore processing, coupled with the anticipated increase in water demand for human consumption and other uses, has created significant stress on the limited water resources of the country. This is critical in the mining industry as water remains typically the prime environmental medium (besides air) that is affected by mining activities. This study sought to investigate the strides made in water management in mining, especially in environmentally sensitive areas of Namibia. Most mining companies operate next or alongside farms, national parks and fishing areas. The overall objective of this research was to highlight the current practices in Namibia's mineral industry operating in environmentally sensitive areas especially in areas where uranium is being mined and processed. The methodology consisted of comprehensive literature review, field visits to the case study areas, and comparative studies with best practices. This study shows that over a ten-year period, freshwater consumption was reduced by over 55% per tonne of milled ore in uranium mines, resulting in substantive financial savings as well as the delay in water augmentation through desalination. The strategies employed by the Namibian companies involve inclusive stakeholders' engagement, recycling and reuse, and the minimization of water losses. The realization that the water challenge cannot be solved by any one party acting alone has been fundamental in ensuring environmental compliance within the mining industry in Namibia. Namibia's industrial leaders have increasingly recognized that reducing the water footprint of mining activities must be one of the key performance indicators for management. The major finding of this study was that Namibia with its unique ecosystems, mineral reserves, and emerging industries can harness a wide range of resources both to improve the welfare of its citizens and to protect the integrity of its environment.
Wastewater management has been seen primarily as a technical and economic issue but it is now recognised that these are some of the elements in an array of other factors that affect sustainability of wastewater systems. Literature studies point out that municipal authorities have a general and long-standing tradition of using indicators in monitoring performance, reviewing progress and reporting the state of the environment as part of the regulatory enacted compliance. However, they have neglected other critical aspects of use of these indicators such as their input into the planning and decision making process. This research advocates for the use of sustainable indicators in a context based planning approach and the utilisation of Multi Criteria Decision Aid (MCDA) in a two step approach for comparative analysis and assessment of the sustainability of wastewater systems. The overall objective was to develop a methodology for wastewater systems selection and to produce a practical planning tool to aid in decision making for municipalities. Another objective was to provide recommendations for wastewater and sanitation management improvement in the case study area. The methodology consisted of comprehensive literature review, case study analysis, a review of the Decision Support Systems (DSS) in use and the development of the DSS for Gauteng Province. The full spectrum of viable wastewater or sanitation options was incorporated into the DSS. From the sustainability assessments carried out using Multi criteria decision analysis, one result showed that varying degrees of sustainability are obtainable with each treatment technology involved and decentralised technologies appear more sustainable. Based on the local context and indicators used in this research, the DSS results suggest that land treatment systems, stabilisation ponds and ecological treatment methods are more sustainable. One major finding from literature is that no technology is inherently sustainable on its own but is a function of the local context specifics. Since there is so much variation in social and economic needs within the areas; the overall results imply that a differential wastewater management approach should be employed with tailor made solutions resulting for each municipality or certain areas within a municipality.
Namibia is a water stressed country with a limited amount of fresh water. Therefore, the use of water is an important topic in the country's development agenda. Water is a shared and finite resource, with high social, cultural, environmental and economic values. However, freshwater resources are under pressure from ore processing, industrialization, urbanization and the demands of a growing population. In Namibia, ore processing, coupled with the anticipated increase in water demand for human consumption and other uses, has created significant stress on its limited water resources. This is critical in mining industry as water remains typically the prime environmental medium (besides air) that is affected by mining activities. This study sought to investigate the strides made in water management in mining, especially in environmentally sensitive areas in Namibia. Most mining companies operate adjacent to or alongside farms, national parks and fishing areas. The overall objective of this research is to highlight the current practices in Namibia's mineral industry operating in environmentally sensitive areas, especially where uranium is being mined and processed. The methodology consists of comprehensive literature review, field visits to the case study areas, and comparative studies with best practices. This study shows that over a ten-year period, freshwater consumption has been reduced by over 55% per tonne of milled ore in uranium mines, resulting in substantive financial savings as well as a delay in water augmentation through desalination. The strategies employed by Namibian companies involve inclusive stakeholders' engagement, recycling and reuse, and the minimization of water losses. The realization that the water challenge cannot be solved by any one party acting alone has been fundamental in ensuring environmental compliance within the mining industry in Namibia. Namibia's industrial leaders have increasingly recognized that reducing the water footprint of mining activities must be one of the key performance indicators for management.
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