These totals are likely to rise as global temperatures rise since some of the world’s poorest nations suffer from drought and its associated effects of famine and malnutrition. In light of this, the United Nations (UN) recognized access to clean water and sanitation for all by 2030 as the sixth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) in 2015.
The mining and metals sector, which frequently operates in remote and water-stressed areas, may play a significant part in achieving this aim by creating and implementing sustainable water management strategies that benefit not just the mining operation but also people and the environment. Recognizing this, the company members of ICMM, who collectively represent about one-third of the industry’s production value, have voluntarily agreed to implement robust and transparent water governance, manage water at operations effectively, and collaborate to achieve responsible and sustainable water use through the ICMM Mining Principles.
The actions being taken by members to develop scalable solutions that maximize the availability of water resources and support the targets of SDG 6 (Ensure availability plus sustainable management of water as well as sanitation for all) are just a few examples of the significant progress they have already made in various areas of water management.
Anglo-American has collaborated with Peruvian communities close to its Quellaveco mining complex to acquire sustainable water resources for its agricultural operations for more than ten years. More than 6,000 local farmers now have better access to and access to water thanks to the Agromining Water System initiative, which also ensures the water supply for the mine.
The mine utilizes water from the Titire River through cooperation arranged with local stakeholders, even though this water supply is unsuitable for humans or agriculture due to naturally occurring high amounts of boron and arsenic. By using this poor-quality water for mining, higher-quality water can be used for agriculture.
To boost community access to high-quality water, the Quellaveco site also collects extra rainwater in its Vizachas dam, which it then shares with nearby towns. The barrier, which has a 60m3 capacity but only uses 4m3 for mining, also has the advantage of preserving natural processes in the Titire and Vizcachas river basins.
A $131 million investment in water management systems, including the construction of a 144 km long seawater pumping infrastructure, has made it possible to eliminate groundwater usage in all site operations at Antofagasta Minerals’ Minera Centinela mine in Chile. By using only saltwater, the mining site helps Antofagasta Minerals achieve its objective of using water from recycled sources or the sea for more than 90% of its activities by 2025.
This pledge directly addresses SDG target 6.4, which calls for a significant improvement in water-use efficiency across all sectors and the assurance of sustainable freshwater withdrawals and supplies to alleviate water scarcity.
In collaboration with local communities, Barrick created and carried out a plan at the Kibali Gold Mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to drill more than 100 new boreholes and upgrade many more to give populations nearby their operations quick access to drinkable water. Barrick is directly advancing goal 6.1, which calls for “universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all,” by working with local communities.
Barrick has also agreed to invest in a water distribution project near the Kibali Gold Mine, pumping and purifying water from nearby hills to a network of 40 water fountains in the nearby city of Durba. The Community Development Committee (CDC) is a community partnership model used at all their mines. The goal of this proposal, which aligns with SDG 6.6, is to cut back on freshwater withdrawals from the nearby Kibali River by more than 50% in 2021.
For a long time, many forms of human activity have strained Queensland, Australia’s Fitzroy Basin. It was determined that a more participative approach to water stewardship was needed to fairly protect and restore water ecosystems in the area (SDG 6.6). The result was a partnership between more than 20 organizations, including ICMM business member BHP.
The Partnership has benefited from collaborating with technical experts and the Queensland Government to give a complete picture of the river health of the region, even if this inclusive approach may be more time-intensive than any one company-led solution. The salinity model enables all parties to better understand the condition of the local rivers and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park’s marine ecosystem. Its work has shown data gaps, empowering businesses to reduce environmental hazards in the future on a much larger scale, which new monitoring and cooperative research programs are addressing.
Large tracts of land that could be used for farming are situated close to sources of water affected by mines in the Mpumalanga region of South Africa. In addition to easing pressure on shared freshwater supplies, Glencore directly benefits local communities by making remediated mine water available to farmers in the area.
The Mpumalanga Winter Wheat Pilot, a joint project run by ICMM, Glencore, Impact Catalyst, and Business for Development, demonstrates how mine-impacted water and land can provide sustainable opportunities for local communities and even produce crops with higher yields than those grown on virgin soil.
In addition to being among the top killers of children under five, diseases related to unclean living conditions, sanitation, and hygiene are frequently to blame for stunting and malnutrition in young children. MMG sought to leave a legacy of better water, sanitation, and hygiene in the area after the closure of its Sepon Copper mine in the hilly Vilabouly district of Lao because it was aware of the fragility of the local population.
Along with UNICEF, the Lao Ministry of Health, and the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports, the corporation supported initiatives in 14 communities to provide schools with facilities for hand washing, gender-segregated restrooms, and a drinkable water supply.
The effort focuses on the infrastructural and behavioural change required to enable genuine and sustained gains as part of a multifaceted local community development program to mobilize communities to abolish open defecation entirely. Through community partnerships, open defecation has drastically decreased, benefiting local communities health and reducing the spread of illness, and significantly advancing the accomplishment of SDG 6.2 (access to adequate as well as equitable sanitation and hygiene for all).
Data and strategies at the catchment level serve as the foundation for effective integrated water management (SDG 6.5). A significant watershed for the mining industry in Brazil’s Carajás mineral province, where ICMM member Vale operates, is the Itacainas River Basin. To understand the Itacainas River Basin’s water resources and how deforestation and climate change may affect the Basin’s water cycle in the future, researchers at Vale Institute of Technology (ITV) have investigated the Basin.
More than half of the Basin’s original forest has been lost since the 1970s due to extensive deforestation, which has primarily been replaced by grazing. ITV noted that additional deforestation might lead to a higher reduction in the Basin’s water transfer to the atmosphere and increased streamflow. Flooding and poor water quality correlate with the increased flow in the neighbourhood water system.
Vale assists in protecting and overseeing Conservation Units in the Carajás region (800,000 hectares of forest) through a collaboration with the Chico Mendes Biodiversity Conservation Institute. The findings demonstrated that even in pristine areas, deforestation upstream of the conservation units impacted the rivers inside those units and may alter water quality and biodiversity.
The findings emphasize the importance of preserving and reestablishing ecosystems that are related to water (SDG 6.6). Additionally, it enables researchers to recognize and assess the potential effects of water-related risks on watersheds in ways that may be applied to various mining sites within Vale’s portfolio.
