Water - Security

Concerns for the Mining

Industry
Water supply in Namibia

• Surface water
• Perennial rivers along the
borders (Orange, Kunene,
Okavango)
• Dams on ephemeral rivers
(Von Bach, Swakoppoort,
Oanob, Hardap, Naute)
• Groundwater
• Groundwater in porous
sediments, e.g. Kuiseb and
Omaruru rivers
• Groundwater in fractured
rock, e.g. Windhoek,
Otjiwarongo, Grootfontein
karst region
Water consumption in Namibia

Urban
Rural Domestic
9.13
Livestock
3% 19.56
Irrigation
135.27 6%
Mining
41% 65.97 Tourism
20%

10.30
86.85
3%
27%

TOTAL DEMAND 327 Mm³/a

Climate of the central Namib
 0
1000
1200
1400

200
400
600
800
1891
1893
1895
1897
1899
1901
1903
1905
1907
1909
1911
1913
1915
1917
1919
1921
1923
1925
1927
1929
1931
1933
1935
1937
1939
1941
1943
1945
Rainfall (mm)

1947
Historic rainfall in Windhoek

1949
1951
1953
1955
1957
1959
1961
1963
1965
Average (mm)

1967
1969
1971
1973
1975
below average, high rainfall is very rare

1977
1979
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
Rainfall in Namibia is unpredictable and often

1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
Water supply to the mines in the South

• The southern mines utilises

water from the Orange river
• No formal agreement in place
with South Africa regarding
managing flow in the lower
portion of the river
• Discussions between the
Namibian and South African
Governments ongoing
• Various sites being considered
for building a dam in the lower
Orange River
Water supply to the Central Region
• Very little inflow was received in the 3
main water storage reservoirs (dams)
in the Central Region in Namibia during
the 2015/2016 rainy seasons
• Higher rainfall in the 2016/2017 slightly
improved the situation
• Water supply to the Central Region is
augmented from sources in the north of
Namibia
• Current dam levels improved, but water
restrictions are still being applied

Von Bach Dam Swakoppoort Dam Omatako Dam

Central Dam Content - Mid-April

100.0%
91.5%
90.0%

80.0%

70.0%

60.0% 55%
52% 49.7%
50.0%

40.0%

30.0%
27%

20.0%
12.9%
10.0%

0.0%
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Source: NamWater
Central Area Dam Levels

• Combined dam contents have decreased over past 5 years

• Even a “good” rainy season will not release the pressure on the supply system
• Central area consumes about 35 million cubic meters per year
• Demand increasing
Central Area Water Demand Projections

Simplified Comparison: PHASE 1 FINDINGS

• No hydrological variation included!

2016
2050 Shortfall: 55 Mm3/a
Exceedance
Point

Resource Capacity:
31.45 - 34.11
Mm3/a

June 2016
© 2014 QKR Namibia Navachab Gold Mine. Confidential and Proprietary.
10
 Impact on Navachab Mine

• The water quality is deteriorating This

has three impacts on the operation:
• Increase in Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
• High algae content in the water
• Drinking water becoming unfit for human
consumption
• Initiatives to reduce water demand :
• Installation of vacuum belt filters
• Replacement of mill motor water cooling
system with an air cooling system
• Clarifying water to be used for gland seal, belt
filter lubrication and flocculant makeup
• Replace boiler with heat exchangers
• Installing mechanical seals, instead of gland
water systems, in the plant where possible
• Use Dust-a-Side, instead of water, to control
dust conditions on the permanent haul roads
• Awareness campaigns to make employees
aware of the water scarcity
• About N$300 million spend to date – fresh
water requirements per tonne treated
reduced by 40%
Bulk Water Users at the Coast

• Arandis • Smaller Users:

• Henties Bay • NamPort
• Swakopmund • WB Airport
• Walvis Bay (WB) • WB Army Base
• Langer Heinrich Mine • Farmers along the
• Rössing Mine Swakop River
• Husab Mine
Additional sources of water supply

• Findings of NamWater’s
Central Namib Area Water
Master Plans:
• J-line in the dunes south of the
Kuiseb river drilled and tested,
but pipeline not feasible
• Various dam sites on mid-
section of Kuiseb river
identified, but they would
reduce recharge to the
wellfields
• Construction of Omdel dam
and enhanced recharge
scheme upstream of the
wellfield (completed)
• Desalination option given
preference (pending)
Desalination history
• Water Master Plan identified
seawater desalination as best
option
• NamWater ran test plants and
looked at Walvis Bay and
Swakopmund sites
• EIA was done for Mile 6 north of
Swakopmund
• NamWater requested tenders but
none of the suppliers was approved
• AREVA built a 20 Mm3/a plant at
Wlotzkasbaken to supply Trekkopje
mine – now used for other mines
via the NamWater scheme
• Rössing received environmental
clearance to construct own
desalination plant
Working with Government

• Cabinet Committee on water

established by the Namibian
President
• Water Council established in
2016
• Chamber represented on Water
Council (Jacklyn Mwenze and
Sandra Müller as alternate)
• Regulations to the Water Act of
2013 released in January 2017
• Regulations reviewed by CoM
via Exploration Committee and
submitted to Water Council
Thank You