The post VAAL COMMUNITIES PROTEST DMRE’s LICENCING OF PROPOSED VLAKFONTEIN, SPRINGFIELD AND REDAN SIDING COAL PROJECTS appeared first on groundWork
Media statement for immediate Release: VAAL COMMUNITIES PROTEST DMRE’s LICENCING OF PROPOSED VLAKFONTEIN, SPRINGFIELD AND REDAN SIDING COAL PROJECTS
IN SUMMARY:
Protest Details: Vaal communities under the Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance (VEJA) will gather outside the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) on October 16, 2024, from 11:00.
Purpose of Protest: DMRE is deciding on proposed coal projects: Vlakfontein, Springfield, and Redan Siding.
Concerns about Coal Projects: Another major coal mining operation is planned for the Vaal Barrage Catchment by Glubay Coal, a subsidiary of Canyon Coal Mine.
- The Vlakfontein site aims to wash 1200 tonnes of coal per hour, using large amounts of fresh water that communities in Waterdal, Dreamland, and surrounding areas have awaited for over a decade.
- This fresh water usage is seen as a violation of residents’ rights, particularly their constitutional right to access water.
- Leaking pipes and poor infrastructure maintenance exacerbate the water issues, and coal mining could further strain the fragile water systems.
Infrastructure Risks: The Vlakfontein coal site is near a Rand Water pipeline, raising concerns about potential incidents during blasting, which could damage the pipeline and harm community infrastructure, housing, livelihoods, and the environment.
VEJA’s Demands: “DMRE to consider rehabilitation for the loss of water tables in historic open cast mining activities along the Vaal Barrage Catchment.”
- “DMRE to answer the following questions with due diligence: What is DMRE’s Climate Change Plan? Considering the loss of fresh water by more than 30% seasonally, how is the DMRE planning to contribute to the National Water Resource Strategy and the Climate Change Act?”
- “How will DMRE address their failures of law enforcement within the historic non-compliance with Sec.24 of the Constitution and the National Environmental Management Act, and other Special Environmental Management Acts from previous mines?”
- “The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy must come to mine hosting communities to see what is it that communities are going through before giving out another Environmental Authorization for coal mining.”
