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Botswana: Miner Urges Use of Wastewater
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Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
19 March 2008
Posted to the web 19 March 2008
Tumelo Setshogo
Ghanzi
A Jwaneng mine official has urged local residents to use wastewater from kitchens and baths for watering their gardens.
Speaking at the commemoration of water week, Debswana technical services manager Rodgers Thusi said "kitchen and bath water can be re-used in a variety of ways".
He said water that is used to transport human waste in sewage systems "can be used as grey water for watering green belts, parks and gardens with little risk of pollution if properly contained".
Thusi revealed to the residents that at Jwaneng mine, this type of water is used for watering the golf course but there is still excess water that is allowed to evaporate. "The other potential uses of this water are being explored in Jwaneng," said Thusi.
However, Thusi reminded them that grey water can be fully cleaned and remixed with fresh water for human consumption. He said this is really mature technology and "while it may be unpalatable to some, it is almost inevitable and the sooner we get there, the better for us".
Thusi said Debswana has focused on sending as little water as possible at their mines. He said the company has developed a technology to produce much thicker residue and more robust pumping systems to reduce the need "to throw away water together with our waste".
To make sure their method does not die, the company will host an international conference on paste thickening in Kasane during May this year where they will share and learn from other international players in the field of mining and civil engineering.
"This conference will help us about how to minimise water loss in mining and how we can safely build waste disposal facilities with residue," said Thusi, adding that the net effect of this effort will be a substantial reduction "in abstraction of water from ancient aquifers and so ensure their sustainability".
The Debswana chief is disturbed by people whom he said use wastewater by filling the bath with enough water to swim rather than in the shower "which uses little water".
Meanwhile, Thusi advised the residents to use the buildings, pavements, roads and trenches to harness rainwater especially for non-regular use. He said the water that we lose is that which is carried away with the tailings or barren ground that we throw away.
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Thusi revealed that in 2007, they recovered over one million cubic metres of water or 12 percent of process water in the same manner.
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