A manual for authorisation of pitlakes as a closure option for South African coal mines
A practical guide for coal mines and their consultants, built on earlier water research on pitlake viability, with South African examples from the Highveld, Waterberg and KwaZulu-Natal coal fields.
GCS | September 2021
Sets out the authorisation route for leaving a pitlake as a closure landform, covering water use licensing, environmental authorisation and the wider legislative process. There is no single application that grants approval, and the route is long and partly duplicated, so several applications are required.
R1500,00
Description
The original scope of the project was to undertake a process of engagement with the relevant authorities to understand the authorisation process for pitlakes. This process was envisaged to involve meetings with the relevant authorities and achieve agreement regarding the relevant authorisation processes for each of the applicable pieces of legislation. This process did not evolve in the way it was planned due to the Covid Pandemic and the feedback from the authorities who were consulted. As a result, Coaltech decided that a comprehensive manual be compiled to assist coal mines authorising pitlakes as a sustainable closure option. There is unfortunately not a single process to follow, and multiple applications will be required in the authorisation process.
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