There is no evidence of water supply concerns related to the current drought compromising mining operations in South Africa, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) tells Mining Weekly. However, project management and engineering consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV mining director Berte Simons said last month that the drought could become a bigger problem in areas where underground water reservoirs, mining operations and communities interacted, as this would “inevitably” lead to mines and their host communities competing for water.
