‘Water tribunal dismisses appeal against Mpumalanga coal mine licence’ 

The Water Tribunal has rejected an appeal by environmental and agricultural groups against the granting of a water use licence for a proposed underground coal mine in a highly water-sensitive area of the Mpumalanga grasslands. Despite strong opposition from the environmental sector and some civic interests, the Department of Water Affairs issued the licence in July 2016 to Atha-Africa Ventures, the South African subsidiary of the India-based Atha Group.

The company has acquired five farms covering about 8,360 hectares in the Mabola region near Wakkerstroom where it wants to develop an underground coal mine. The proposed underground mine will extend about 1,200ha, with a potential to produce 2.2 million tons of coal per year over an estimated 15 years. All five farms are within a high-altitude grassland biome with a threatened grassland ecosystem. Water bodies that will be affected include streams, rivers, springs, and wetlands of various kinds.

…The water use licence grants Atha-Africa the right to use water for the mine, subject to conditions that included mitigation measures to prevent pollution; the monitoring and reporting on underground water pollution; and post-mining rehabilitation measures until the water quality stabilises. This process could take until the end of this century, according to those opposing the mine.The issuing of the licence was appealed by two environmental organisations – the Endangered Wildlife Trust and the Federation for a Sustainable Environment – and Mpumalanga Landbou/Agriculture, the provincial affiliate of AgriSA that hosts 35 farmers’ associations across Mpumalanga. The respondents were the Director-General of the national Department of Water and Sanitation and Atha-Africa Ventures.