Minister Edna Molewa to officiate over the insertion of the acid mine drainage pumps in the Central Basin
The Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Mrs. Edna Molewa will insert acid mine drainage (AMD) pumps at the Central Basin Pump station in Witwatersrand (near Germiston) on Friday, 14 March 2014. These pumps ensure the acid mine drainage will remain below the environmental critical level (ECL). The construction of high density sludge (HDS) treatment plants will neutralise the AMD before it is discharged into the environment.
The Minister will do a tour of the treatment facility and witness the lowering of the pumps into the shafts where such mine water will be treated. The installation and construction of the pumps, treatment plant and monitoring shafts commenced in January 2013 and is valued at R319 million.
At this event, the Minister will also announce the programme for the National Water Week Campaign which will be celebrated from 17 to 23 March 2014 under the theme “Water is Life - 20 Years of Water Delivery for Social and Economic Development”. The campaign coincides with South Africa’s celebrations of 20 years of freedom and democracy.
In the 20 years of democracy, the Department has provided millions of South Africans with access to clean drinking water and the focus of the campaign is to showcase the completion of some of the projects that the Department initiated in these two decades.
The Minister will hold a media briefing in the morning that will be followed by a site visit and tour of the treatment facility at the Central Basin.
Media is invited to attend the event on 14 March as follows:
Part 1: Breakfast and tour logistics briefing
Time: 07h30 to 08h30
Venue: Birchwood Conference Centre, Boksburg
Part 2: Media briefing and tour of the facility
Time: 09h30 – 10h30
Venue: Germiston Site – Central Basin
To RSVP contact Motshidisi Baloyi at 082 611 1015 or baloyim2@dwa.gov.za
For enquiries contact:
Mava B Scott
Cell: 082 602 9640
Tel: 012 336 6828
