University of Pretoria (UP) Department of Chemistry water remediation expert Dr Alseno Kagiso Mosai has cautioned that young children in Krugersdorp are breathing in uranium, arsenic and mercury fumes wafting over from abandoned legacy mines, while pollutants are seeping into the groundwater and nearby dams and lakes.
“If this is not treated now, the effects of legacy mines will continue and the impact will be much more severe. This means that the government will need large amounts of money to clean the water in order to bring it up to the standard needed for households,” he said on July 4.
Mosai alleged that the mining companies responsible for such pollution were often no longer in operation, and that it was ultimately up to the government to fund acid mine drainage clean-ups in order to protect the right of citizens to a healthy environment and clean water.