World Water Day 2020

International World Water Day is marked around the globe every year on 22 March, with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of freshwater and highlighting the UN’s Sustainable Development https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg6 Goal (SDG) 6: Ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

This year, the theme is ‘Water and Climate Change’, two of the three areas related to the Healthy Environment pillar of our Sustainable Mining Plan (the third is biodiversity).

The stretch goals we’ve set ourselves within these areas are designed to be challenging and our aim is to reach them by 2030.

For water, our goal/vision is to operate waterless mines in water-scarce catchments. By 2030, we are aiming to reduce the abstraction of freshwater in water scarce regions by 50%; increase water-recycling levels to 75% by 2020; and have no Level 3 or greater water incidents.

Case study: The Musina Water Supply Project

At De Beers Group’s Venetia mine in South Africa, we are upgrading the water supply of the Musina Local Municipality. As a growing town, the community is experiencing water challenges due to the increased need for water, reduced supply, and ageing infrastructure.In 2019 the mine launched Phase One of the Musina Water Supply Project with the support of the Musina Local Municipality.

The work included the drilling and testing of eight additional boreholes in the Musina primary catchment area, and installing the associated piping and infrastructure to connect these boreholes to the main feed from the Municipality.

Phase 2 is due to complete at the end of 2020.

Case study: Los Bronces

The region around Los Bronces in Chile is currently facing the longest ‘mega-drought’ on record. We are responding by developing climate change forecasts, contingency plans and breakthrough innovations to ensure a sustainable water supply.

The Integrated Los Bronces Project is currently undergoing an environmental impact assessment, and no use of additional water is a key component of its sustainability principles. We are also working with communities near Los Bronces and El Soldado to optimise rural potable water supply wells with equipment and technology.

More than 55,000 people in the Chacabuco province will benefit from Anglo American’s collaboration with WeTechs to develop a sensor-based technology to automate and monitor water levels in 23 rural potable water systems. The project contributed to a 30% increase in water availability, 40% reduction in pipe ruptures and 25% reduction in energy consumption.