When gold was discovered in Johannesburg it was the birth of the city and also the rise. The nickname for the city is "City Of Gold." But now the mines where they would mine for that gold is full of contaminated water that threaten to leak into South Africa's water supply. A very popular lake for locals to have fun and enjoy themselves at is now declared radioactive. When measured for uranium in 2002 everything was a ok. But now when it was tested for uranium it was 40,000 times over the natural uranium levels found in fresh water. Randfontien is located 45 kilometers from Johannesburg. In Randfontien toxic water started to leach into the ground a decade ago. The water there is now orange, the water is plagued with radioactive minerals and it reeks of acidic odor. The reason for all this toxic water is from Johannesburg's extensive excavating for gold up until the 1970's. When the mines were left with no care in the 70's so were the pumps that kept the mines dry. Because of this water massed inside the mines the water then became toxic. The only way the water was drained was from rain water, but then the toxic water that was located in the mines now drained into the soil outside, and underwater lakes. Nico Jacobs a local resident owns a farm in the middle of the a huge agricultural area, located around his house crops cultivated fields and cattle. His family is aware that the water they use is toxic, but they continue to use the water. His daughter took a bath in the toxic water, he showed a reporter the water after he drained it out of the tub. The tub was left with blue marks because of the toxic water. The water is having a negative affect on his business as well. Nico used to own 200 cows, he is now left with only 46. Experts say that resolving this epidemic could cost them a enormous amount of money. This could also quicken up the decline of a key mining industry in South Africa. The industry in South Africa is 1 of the top 5 gold producing countries in the world. A group of experts proposed an idea to purify the contaminated water but the estimated cost for the project was four times over the budget. The government and several mining companies are working on creating a project that would solve this problem, and also keep the project in their budget
Monday, February 13, 2012
Toxic Waters In Johannesburg
When gold was discovered in Johannesburg it was the birth of the city and also the rise. The nickname for the city is "City Of Gold." But now the mines where they would mine for that gold is full of contaminated water that threaten to leak into South Africa's water supply. A very popular lake for locals to have fun and enjoy themselves at is now declared radioactive. When measured for uranium in 2002 everything was a ok. But now when it was tested for uranium it was 40,000 times over the natural uranium levels found in fresh water. Randfontien is located 45 kilometers from Johannesburg. In Randfontien toxic water started to leach into the ground a decade ago. The water there is now orange, the water is plagued with radioactive minerals and it reeks of acidic odor. The reason for all this toxic water is from Johannesburg's extensive excavating for gold up until the 1970's. When the mines were left with no care in the 70's so were the pumps that kept the mines dry. Because of this water massed inside the mines the water then became toxic. The only way the water was drained was from rain water, but then the toxic water that was located in the mines now drained into the soil outside, and underwater lakes. Nico Jacobs a local resident owns a farm in the middle of the a huge agricultural area, located around his house crops cultivated fields and cattle. His family is aware that the water they use is toxic, but they continue to use the water. His daughter took a bath in the toxic water, he showed a reporter the water after he drained it out of the tub. The tub was left with blue marks because of the toxic water. The water is having a negative affect on his business as well. Nico used to own 200 cows, he is now left with only 46. Experts say that resolving this epidemic could cost them a enormous amount of money. This could also quicken up the decline of a key mining industry in South Africa. The industry in South Africa is 1 of the top 5 gold producing countries in the world. A group of experts proposed an idea to purify the contaminated water but the estimated cost for the project was four times over the budget. The government and several mining companies are working on creating a project that would solve this problem, and also keep the project in their budget
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