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Parts of Sub Saharan Africa makes little use of its groundwater resources, which contributes only 1% of total renewable water resource withdrawals for agriculture. Projected and continuing changes to the amount, intensity and predictability of rainfall in much of Southern Africa will lead to changes in the way the region views its groundwater resources.

Being in South Africa we have all be exposed to the pressures associated with drought. In drought situations, we see how it becomes mayhem with numerous short-cuts being taking, incorrect methodologies being implemented and over-inflated prices and opinions being applied and pronounced in the drought regions. As water supply engineers, hydrogeologists and scientists, we all need to learn from one another and adhere to some form of standards in the areas of borehole drilling, pumping tests, and monitoring.

Natural attenuation of acid mine drainage by various rocks in a typical Karoo coalfield: case study of the Witbank, Ermelo and Highveld coalfields, South Africa Sakala1,2, F. Fourie2, M. Gomo2 and G. Madzivire1,3 Council for Geoscience, Pretoria, South Africa Institute for Groundwater Studies, University of the Free State The University of South Africa, Department of Environmental Science, 28 Pioneer Avenue, Florida Park, Roodepoort, 1709, South Africa ABSTRACT In the Karoo coalfields, mining operations which release acid mine drainage (AMD) are threatening groundwater resources. An important parameter controlling the extent and severity of AMD impacts is the natural attenuation of rocks

In the Karoo coalfields, mining operations that release acid mine drainage (AMD) are threatening groundwater resources. An important parameter controlling the extent and severity of AMD impacts is the natural attenuation of rocks in response to introduced of AMD. Very little is known about such responses for Karoo rocks in saturated and unsaturated conditions, a research gap filled by this paper. Laboratory column leach experiments were used to study the responses of different rock types from Witbank, Ermelo and Highveld coalfields of South Africa. .

Presentation 1: Analyses of Groundwater Storage Change in the Usutu-Mhlatuze Drainage Region using GRACE Satellite Data TALK ABSTRACT: The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite data interpretation provides an integrated measure of monthly terrestrial water mass changes. The GRACE satellite data has been successfully used to estimate the monthly changes of terrestrial water storage (TWS) including groundwater storage changes. This presentation will provide an overview and application of the GRACE satellite product to

The influence of groundwater abstraction on surface water levels, Victor Ntsako (GSSA)

Science is a living document; it grows and expands as more information becomes available and our knowledge grows. It makes use of hypothesis, experiments, observations, and measurements. Groundwater scientists have a difficult task. They work in a system that is not visible, and they cannot take it into a laboratory to study. They use geophysical methods and drill boreholes to get an idea of the groundwater system that they are studying.

Small water treatment plants are defined as water treatment systems that have to be installed in areas which are not adequately serviced and do not normally fall within the confines of urban areas. They are therefore mostly used in rural and peri-urban areas and include chlorination plants for water supplies from boreholes and springs, small treatment systems for rural communities, treatment plants of small municipalities and treatment plants for establishments such as rural hospitals, schools, clinics, forestry stations, etc.

TALK ABSTRACT  It’s commonly accepted that climate change will be experienced though water, particularly in developing countries. Several studies relating to the impacts of climate change on surface water have been undertaken while very little research exists on the potential impacts on groundwater.

Recent trends in mining and exploration are set to further accelerate the demand and growth of 3D geological modelling software. These trends include the inevitable increase in cost per ton of resource and global economic slowdowns. These require companies to constantly cost-cut during extraction and to improve resource delineation. Add to this the trend that new discoveries are deeper and in more structurally-complex setting, and it’s apparent that a great deal of attention needs to be focused on getting the geometry of a deposit, as early as possible in the exploration and mining value chain, correct.