Leading scientists have pinpointed the cause of hundreds of mysterious crocodile deaths in the country’s national parks, saying acid water from the coal mining industry is to blame.
Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Buyelwa Sonjica, while acknowledging the seriousness of the threat posed by Acid Mine Drainage (AMD), on Thursday assured the public that citizens of Johannesburg would not wake up one morning to a flood of acid water in the CBD as it has been reported previously.
“The exaggeration of this problem is un-called for and I would like to urge all interested and affected individuals and organizations to refrain from making alarmist statements in relation to this issue,” Sonjica said, adding that the financial interests of the private sector are also to a large degree playing a role in fuelling some of the hype around AMD.
“Government views the matter of the Acid Mine Drainage in a serious light and a series of engagements with my counterparts in the government have taken place on this urgent matter,” said Sonjica.
The Department of Water Affairs said the minister was setting up a high-level technical task team to tackle the AMD challenge currently facing the country in particular the Witwatersrand area.