Seeing the value of groundwater

Video

NATIONAL NEWS & VIDEO - On the first day of on-site/in-person talks and seminars at the 2022 Stockholm World Water Week, Sunday 28 August, a special session titled “Clean Groundwater - Our Hidden Treasure” was held, highlighting the importance of groundwater as a resource around the world.

The session featured various talks from experts in the field of groundwater from across the world, covering ground (and water) all the way from Southern Africa to India, Cambodia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Important and informative discussions were held about factors that threaten groundwater in every corner of the globe, be it pollution or climate change.

South African Dr Kevin Pietersen hosted one of the lightning talks during the session, focusing on groundwater availability to mining operations in Southern Africa. Pietersen is the technical advisor to the Groundwater Management Institute for the Southern African Developing Community.

"Mining distorts the natural environment, complicating the fate and pathway of pollutants in the disturbed areas, and complicating vulnerability assessments due to various factors, including mining methods, preferential flow paths and multiple pollutant load sources," Pietersen said during his presentation.

The groundwater session was the second of the day on Sunday at the Stockholm City Conference Centre, which is the home of the on-site Stockholm World Water Week this year.

See the video below for insight from Pietersen into groundwater in Southern Africa, the Karoo, and possible lessons that current drought-stricken countries can learn from Cape Town and the Western Cape’s management of the devastating 2017-2019 drought: