The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has invited marginalised gold mining industry participants to approach it for assistance in dealing with the environmental and operational challenges caused by extraneous mine water.
The department says the negative impacts of mine water can be experienced at a local or regional scale depending on a number of variables, including hydrological and hydrogeological characteristics of the mine site/s, chemistry of mine water and the inter-connectivity of the ground water.
The DMRE will provide a subsidy and pumping bill to ensure that marginalised gold mines operate sustainably by pumping out extraneous mine water, it says.
It notes that there will be no other expenses claimed against the allocation.
Standard conditions applicable are a valid mining permit of mining right; an approved environmental management programme or plan; an updated hydrogeological report; a motivation indicating the need to remove extraneous mine water for the sustainable continuation of mining operations; and a detailed operational cost of pumping extraneous mine water.
Interested gold mine operations are requested to submit a motivation and all associated documents to the DMRE.