Coal mines non-compliant with water use licence conditions – CER
Source: Mpumalanga coal mines non-compliant with water use licence conditions – CER
Nonprofit organisation (NPO), the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) says coal mines in Mpumalanga are “significantly” non-compliant with their water use licence (WUL) conditions. In a report – the fourth installment in the CER’s Full Disclosure series – released on Wednesday, the NPO details gross violations and water pollution by eight operators, as well as failures by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).
According to the CER, mining companies ascribe their non-compliance with WUL conditions to government’s failure to effectively monitor compliance and gross negligence on the part of environmental auditors.
This is very true.
Most so-called “environmental auditors” are wholly unqualified to conduct audits on a complex technical document such as a WUL, and simply follow a quick and cheap “checklist” approach, not even identifying water uses that are taking place, and that have not been licensed, and not highlighting conditions with compliance specifications that makes no sense.
In the end, everyone looses – the communities, the company, and the environment. And that is a pity.
If you want a PROPER Audit done that will highlight the gaps in both the WUL, and from a compliance perspective, get in touch with us right away.
