5/10/2023 0 Comments Mindustry water“So if you want to minimize the risk of disputes with your neighbours, you have to properly assess the consequences of your activity on the whole catchment area, including groundwater. For example, if you undertake dewatering operations in a mine, that may impact on the local groundwater situation, and that can affect river flows, which in turn may affect fish populations, and hence fisheries.”Īs rainfall patterns are changing, it becomes more difficult to predict outcomes - but also more important. This is also about the risk of economic conflict with others. “People are paying more attention, and it goes beyond simple supply or flood situations. “Climate change has certainly altered attitudes to environmental risk,” agrees Gareth Digges La Touche, a UK-based hydrogeologist with WSP Golder focusing on the global mining sector. “So whereas we used to point out risks to companies, they now actively ask us to tell them what they are.” “Without sufficient water it was at risk of failing in its compliance obligations,” he says, “That’s a risk that just wasn’t on its radar before.” Companies have to address investor concerns about climate-related impacts, he adds. One of Capstick’s mining clients needed a reliable water supply to cover tailings - extraction waste - that would otherwise oxidize, generating acid that could run off or seep into the surrounding environment. Industry too is feeling the effects of longer dry periods. This has meant that Indigenous peoples in the north of the country are starting to run short of water before the wetter weather returns. In Canada, for example, earlier spring melts increase flood risk, but also lead to longer periods of relative dryness over the summer. The implications of such changes are not always immediately obvious. “It’s not just driven by one parameter, like not enough rain, or too much, but also inconsistent rainfall, and occurring under different circumstances - like rain on snow. Most obviously, those concerned with water supply no longer take rainfall for granted: “We are moving to an increased acknowledgement of uncertainty,” says Sean Capstick, a principal at WSP Golder in Canada focusing on sustainable development and climate change. Climate change has made this harder, which is forcing the water business to up its game when it comes to risk assessment. Water engineers continually manage risk: the risk of drought, of flood, of supply contamination, and also the risk of waste - human or industrial - contaminating the environment.
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