PHK opens Paste 08 seminar

WANETSHA MOSINYI
Staff Writer | Wednesday May 7, 2008 00:00

 

Kedikilwe said despite mining being the backbone of Botswana's economy, the industry faced challenges such as the churning of waste in huge quantities.

The seminar has brought together about 200 delegates from the mining industry around the world, as well as researchers, academia and individual experts.

It is co-hosted by Debswana and the Australian Centre for Geomechanics.The seminar's objective is to promote technology for reducing the use of new water by mines and to promote environmentally superior management of mine residues.

Minister Kedikilwe noted that the mining sector was 'ahead of the game' in finding better ways to conserve water and to protect the environment.

'As a semi-arid country with an appetite for development, we need to partner with the best in order to maximise water recycling or find alternative technologies that will allow mining to take place without undue depletion of this precious and scarce resource,' Kedikiwe said.

'The holes we dig must be rehabilitated,' he pointed out, adding that there was downstream toxic effluent in some parts of the country, which meant that humans and other forms of life were in danger. 

Given Botswana's mineral endowment, large quantities of water were needed to recover minerals from waste rock.

The minister said the challenge now was for the mining industry to develop water conserving technologies and that paste thickening technology held promise to achieve that.  Paste thickening technology has been successfully piloted at Orapa Mine where it is credited with retaining between 30 and 60 percent of water in it.  'The question is: what else can be done to unlock and make such water available for re-use?' Kedikilwe asked. 'This is a challenge to all.'

Government would do everything to facilitate research leading to the reduction of water use and to ensuring that Botswana got some value from waste.

The Managing Director of Debswana, Blackie Marole, agreed with the minister, adding in a land where water is a scarce resource, the need to minimise water usage could not be over-emphasised.

'The impact of global warming increases challenges in the way we need to manage our water for (the) sustainability of our mines and the country,' Marole said, 'doing it in an environmentally friendly manner.'

The general objective of the seminar is to promote the technology of paste and thickened tailings as a viable and mature alternative solution to conventional mine waste disposal.  The objective of holding the seminar in Botswana is to emphasise the importance of responsible water usage in arid regions. Botswana has invested in numerous water related projects over the years and water scarcity has been a challenge and a reality on many fronts.

Paste seminars have previously been held in Australia, Chile, Canada, Ireland and South Africa.