Rehabilitation efforts on the West Dump, September 2020
REHABILITATION
(Credit: Andrew Crausaz)
Producing bricks
through ash dump Listed on the JSE since 2006, Afrimat is a leading company servicing open-pit mining operations. By Marlo van Rensburg and Tali Tshikhovhokhovho*
rehabilitation
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frimat supplies an array of materials ranging from aggregates and concrete products to readymix, as well as industrial minerals and iron ore. The group has also established a strong foothold in contracting services – comprising mobile crushing, screening, drilling and blasting – and offers flexibility even beyond its fixed areas of operation. The group manages its environmental footprint through formal environmental management programmes (EMPs) in line with local and international regulations and best practice. The EMPs focus on responsible mining, reducing emissions through upgrades to diesel-driven equipment, decreasing noise pollution, recycling products where viable, and maintaining all plants at optimum working levels. Active programmes to reduce the group’s carbon footprint have also recently been introduced. Environmental progress reports are submitted annually to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in terms of mining rights requirements. In addition, mine rehabilitation assessments are conducted by external consultants and provisions are raised to meet these future obligations.
Vaal Clinker rehabilitation project Clinker Supplies, a subsidiary of Afrimat, specialises in recovering and processing ash dumps to produce bricks and blocks in Gauteng’s Vaal area. Clinker Supplies has an agreement with Eskom to recover clinker product from the old Vaal ash dump. The clinker product is then used to manufacture bricks. Not only does this project add value, but it is in line with government’s Polokwane Declaration on Waste Minimisation. The rehabilitation is being conducted as per the approved environmental management plan, in accordance with
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applicable environmental and water-related acts and regulations.
Rehabilitation objectives The primary objective of the rehabilitation plan is to recreate or attempt to restore the site to its natural state as far as possible. Thus, rehabilitation procedures aim to restore the disturbed land to its previous form, which is a moderatepotential grazing land. The objectives include, but are not limited to: • preparing the site to be amenable to support vegetation • removing any contaminated soils • ensuring physical stabilisation of the soils • accelerating ground stability, especially on steep slope areas • ensuring that final drainage of the site does not adversely affect neighbouring property or the innate environment, especially the riparian area. While limiting aspects on rehabilitation exist, mitigation measures have been implemented to reduce negative feedback on the rehabilitation progress. The limitations include rainfall, which is essential to establish vegetation. The success of re-vegetation activities will be heavily reliant on successful rainfall in the subsequent wet season. Moreover, avoiding wild fire in the years that follow will also be critical to ensuring the long-term success of the re-vegetation. The guiding principle of rehabilitation is to mimic the surrounding topographic features, characters and appearance. Landscaped dumps must blend in with the surrounding topography. In addition, it is important to ensure that the landscaped area is free of draining. The drainage is shaped to protect surface water from being concentrated. Energy dissipaters and stormwater control measures are also implemented. Thanks to the dedicated Clinker Supplies team and other stakeholders, this rehabilitation project is 90% complete and is expected to be completed within the next year. *Marlo van Rensburg is the GM: Sustainability and Tali Tshikhovhokhovho is an environmental specialist: Sustainability at Afrimat.
