Three disturbing photos . . . sad realities that can change life along the West Coast forever . . .
Firstly, an excerpt from the notorious and secret integrated water use licence agreement (WULA) granted to the EEM/KROPZ phosphate mine during the festive Easter time by the Department of Water and Sanitation . . . in the midst of one of the most severe droughts in decades in the Western Cape / West Coast.
Secondly, the latest dam levels in the Western Cape – the worst in decades – threatening life and livelihood for all in this region.
The long-awaited and fiercely fought WULA apparently not only allows KROPZ to use a total of 700000 M3 water from the aquifer annually, but also to discharge 20 000 M3 of hazardous water on their soft stockpiles for 15 years . . .
The only GOOD news thus far is that the West Coast Environmental Protection Association (WCEPA) will be part of the mine’s Water Monitoring Committee . . . which promises to be an interesting development – especially since the WCEPA is in the process of finalizing an urgent appeal against the WULA to be heard at the Water Tribunal; and is still raising funds for their pending High Court Case against the irregularities in the Department of Mineral Resources’ (DMR’s) initial granting of mining rights to EEM/KROPZ . . .
The WCEPA reacted to the WULA in a strong-worded commentary on their FB page:
WCEPA has received EEM/Kropz Water Use License Agreement.
“Well, once again the public has been deceived.”
The Elandsfontein mine, located 8.8km from the Langebaan Lagoon on the West Coast has, from the onset, ignored regulations and processes of administrative justice. Firstly, the mine lies neatly between two sections of the West Coast National Park, the area is classified as a Critical Biodiversity Area, forms part of an international Conservation treaty to bring it into formal protection (to which South Africa signed into). It is also part of the core area of an international UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Elandsfontein forms part of a government identified “climate adaptive corridor”. The vegetation found in the area is endemic and either vulnerable or endangered (with extinction).
No EIA process was completed and no Environmental Authorization was granted for the large scale destructive listed activities. The mining right was granted days before the Department of Mineral Resources handed in their Record of Decision, instructing that no mining right should be granted as various regulations were not adhered to and the risk of unacceptable ecological degradation and pollution was too great especially to the Langebaan Lagoon (the most important Lagoon on the coast of Africa).
A strip mine and processing plant have already been built, without the necessary permits. Strips are measuring around 1.2 km x 700 m. The mining will take place by bulldozing and digging out a 5-10 million year aquifer. This aquifer maintains groundwater within a 30 km radius and maintains the pH and salinity levels of the Langebaan Lagoon, a RAMSAR site.
The mine also falls within a disaster-declared area due to an ongoing relentless three-year drought.
The mine is owned by Mike Nunn and Patrice Motsepe (through their companies).
Phosphate will be mined and processed on site, which is knownworldwide as an environmental wrecker.
The mining company has repeatedly lied to the community about pretty much everything. Most notably about the fact that they will not use the aquifers’ water. The mining area needs to be dewatered in order to mine and over and over they have said that they will re-inject. the water back into the aquifer and called them “an environmentally conscious green mine”. The application for their Water Use License was closed to a Public Participation Process.
The WULA shows that they are ALLOWED TO USE THE AQUIFERS’ WATER.
A TOTAL OF 700000 M3 A YEAR has been allocated!
This is water from the aquifer to pollute through the processing of the phosphate.
It gets worse – they can discharge 20 000 M3 of hazardous water on their soft stockpiles, FOR 15 YEARS!
These ‘softs’ will be placed back into the strips as part of the “rehabilitation” of the area to “rebuild” the aquifer structure.
Scientific evidence indicating a clear connection between the #ElandsfonteinAquifer and the #LangebaanLagoon has been submitted to the government.
These documents were not included in the review of documents to issue the #WULA.
In the same way as the #DMR ignored its own Record of Decision when awarding the mining license, which called for no granting of a mining right.
Surprisingly, one thing that the WULA did stipulate was the inclusion of WCEPA in EEM’s Water Monitoring Committee.
WCEPA will hand an appeal in shortly to be heard at the Water Tribunal
AND
currently, there is still a #HighCourt case hanging
#hellisaplacewithnowater#EarthMatters#WaterIsLife#elandsfontein#wcepa#bitterbattleforjustice
