RESPONSIBLE
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
CONTINUED
but also leveraging our capabilities in land and
water management to create value beyond
our traditional mine boundaries, and driving
integrated closure management. This ambition
requires that we further advance our cultural
maturity, and become more proactive. To
achieve this, we are establishing multidiscipline
working groups focused around specific
environmental themes to proactively identify
and capitalise on opportunities within and
outside the organisation. By embedding an
environmental awareness in everything we do,
we will continue to improve the efficiency with
which we make use of natural resources.
Our actions in 2017
Water
Access to water remains an important social,
environmental and economic issue. As the
global population grows, demand for good
quality water required to meet the needs of
society, agriculture and industry, continues
to escalate. This often occurs in the face
of mounting water supply pressure caused
by more frequent droughts. As noted in our
2016 report
, the International Council on
Mining and Metals (ICMM) released a
Water
Position Statement
in December of 2016.
This water position statement sets out an
approach for effective water stewardship,
understanding that it requires concerted effort
from government, civil society, business and
local communities. As a member of the ICMM,
the position statement commits AngloGold
Ashanti to apply robust and transparent water
governance; manage water at operations
effectively; and to collaborate with external
stakeholders to achieve responsible and
sustainable water use. The position statement
is supported by the ICMM Water Reporting
Guide, whose development and case studies
we contributed to. AngloGold Ashanti remains
well positioned to meet these commitments.
In terms of operational water use, we primarily
draw on three sources of water, in addition to
the rainfall directly harvested on our processing
facilities. The first is groundwater pumped
from borefields, or water that collects in our
underground operations as it seeps down
through fissures and cracks. Second, in some
jurisdictions where we operate, we purchase
water from utilities. Lastly, we are permitted to
abstract limited volumes of water from surface
sources, such as rivers or lakes, through
our licencing agreements with governments.
We continually work to optimise the use of
raw water in our operations, maximise water
recycling to the extent practicable and ensure
the safe discharge of excess water to the
environment. We recognise water recycling as
a key feature of water stewardship, and track
water recycling efficiency. It is calculated using
the approach contained in the ICMM Water
Reporting Guide, which is based on the
Water
Accounting Framework
as published by the
Minerals Council of Australia.
AngloGold Ashanti operates mines in areas
where there is water scarcity, as well as
water abundance. Each scenario affects
our water balances differently and a unique
management approach is required to satisfy
the needs of mining operations as well
as host communities. During 2017, our
operations in Tanzania, Mali and Guinea
experienced reduced rainfall. In Tanzania, this
necessitated increased water abstraction from
Lake Victoria through the construction of an
additional pipeline. However, as an added
benefit, the additional pipeline also provided
access to water for irrigation for many of the
communities in its vicinity. Similarly, in Ghana,
Iduapriem Mine experienced lower than usual
rainfall volumes, which required increased
water imports from rainwater collected in
its Block 7 pit lake. Water imports from the
Tinkisso River were also increased at Siguiri
Mine in Guinea during the 2017 reporting year,
due to drier climatic conditions.
In South Africa, removal of extraneous water
infiltrating from neighbouring mines is a high
priority for our Vaal River and West Wits mines.
With the sale of the Moab Khotsong and
Kopanang mines, the focus will shift to West
Wits and the ~ 5Ml per day of extraneous
water draining into the underground operations
from the neighbouring Blyvooruitzicht mine.
The water from this mine is poor quality and
mildly acidic, but during 2017 the AngloGold
Ashanti West Wits operation succeeded in
absorbing the full volume in our operations,
which prevented the extraneous water from
being released to the environment.
Water use and efficiency
Efficiency
(Litres per tonne)
Efficiency
0
20
40
60
80
100
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
0
200
400
600
800
1000
64
627
64
600
60
639
51
593
52
611
Use
(Gigalitres)
Use
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT REPORT
2017
45
About this report
Leadership
Strategy
Material issues
Reporting assurance
Our 2017 performance
Data tables