Mining group Sibanye-Stillwater continues to drive the effective and efficient use of water with a proactive approach to reduce its reliance on potable water systems across mining operations and in the communities where it operates.

In March, Sibanye united with End Water Poverty and the United Nations (UN) to celebrate Water Action Month and to contribute to the global advocacy around UN-Water-led World Water Day.

“Through active engagements, awareness and information drives with operational management and external stakeholders, we reinforce our water health, conservation, and demand strategies,” the company said in a statement on Thursday.

“As part of our drive to reduce our reliance on potable water systems, we advocate for the responsible use, management and protection of groundwater sources in the areas where we operate.”

The mining group pumps more than 280-million litres – equivalent to 122 Olympic swimming pools – of excess groundwater each day to keep mining operations in South Africa and the US dry and safe to operate.

Sibanye cleans a portion of this water to produce potable water for use at its operations, thereby reducing dependence on external potable sources and aligning with the group’s water independence strategy.

“At our operations, we ensure that potable water is readily accessible at all workplaces for a workforce of more than 80 000 people and to some 35 000 residents in hostels and communities relying on mine water distribution infrastructure.

“We further maintain sanitation facilities, including sewage treatment plants, at all our operations to ensure that water can be safely discharged or reused, with minimal impact on groundwater and other water sources,” Sibanye said, adding that groundwater is treated to discharge quality standards in accordance with licence conditions.

Responsible reuse of impacted groundwater is measured at site level and disclosed as part of Sibanye’s transparent disclosure procedures.

The treatment and monitoring regimes, the results of which are reported publicly in catchment management forums and through an adaptive management plan, support a regional approach to the sustainable management of surrounding ecosystems.

“Our South Africa platinum group metal (PGM) operations’ water security strategy is largely informed by the limited volume of groundwater emanating from fissures and faults.

This groundwater is the source of a substantial portion of our total water needs and is recycled to ensure optimal use.”

Water treatment plants at the Ezulwini, Cooke, Kloof and Driefontein operations treat about 25-million litres a day of impacted groundwater for potable use at the operations and use by employees and communities, and have resulted in an 8% year-on-year decrease in potable water use, making valuable potable water available to other users.

Sibanye’s US-based PGM operations have high water elevations adjacent to headwater streams and also receive excess groundwater that is treated to pristine water quality, better-than-permitted discharge water quality standards, and discharged back to groundwater sources through deep injection wells, percolation ponds and land application disposal.

“Our water independence and water security strategies have a desired outcome of ensuring the long-term sustainability of groundwater and therefore water availability for not only the economic prosperity of towns, cities and countries, but for basic sanitation and hygiene – a fundamental defence in building pandemic resilient nations,” the company said.