KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 (Bernama) -- Black & Veatch, a global leader in critical infrastructure solutions, in its new survey revealed that sustainable water management efforts are a priority for the mining sector in Australia.
In the survey, more than 80 per cent of respondents indicated that sustainable water management is one of the leading sustainability priorities for their organisation.
Ensuring sustainable water use and supply, and eliminating water pollution, were identified as the most readily addressable sustainability issues.
“The outcomes of unmanaged water issues can result in significant delays to project approvals, impacts to operational productivity, flood damage to critical infrastructure, mining-related impacts to environmental and cultural values, and future closure liabilities.
“Prioritising a stewardship approach using integrated and sustainable water solutions will return dividends for the environment, local communities, mining companies and the broader industry,” said Black & Veatch vice president, director, Australia Pacific, Mick Scrivens in a statement.
Yet, more than half of the respondents were unsure if their organisations had these types of sustainability commitments in place, and only 43 per cent of them confirmed that their organisations had made commitments regarding the use of water.
This finding suggests there are opportunities for mining companies to improve the effectiveness of how their corporate-level water stewardship commitments are translated into well-understood, executable and impactful actions in the field.
Positive steps taken by regional and global mining companies over the years include replacing unsustainable groundwater supplies with desalination sources, improving focus on water recycling and initiatives to reduce operational water intensity, and improving tailings management practices.
Furthermore, an overwhelming 98 per cent of respondents emphasised the importance of securing alignment and support from local and First Nations communities on project design and water stewardship initiatives, with half of those saying that such support is “extremely important”.
The survey is based on the inputs of 63 senior industry executives from across the Asia Pacific region and readers of Australian Mining.
-- BERNAMA
