By Busani Bafana
KRUGERSDORP, South Africa, Nov 22, 2011 (IPS) - Toxic water from derelict gold and uranium mines has reportedly destroyed Elize Strydom's dream to be a farmer in her retirement.
Polluted waste from nearby mines spews onto her 160-hectare farm outside Johannesburg and she claims that this toxic water has left her with deformed livestock and barren fields.
Bought for her retirement 10 years ago, the farm is no longer a working one after surface water on it turned sour because of acid mine drainage (AMD), Strydom claims.
AMD occurs as a result of water from mining operations rising up as a natural run off above ground. The process is also a result of disused mine shafts flooding with water, and eventually rising above ground. This water is toxic because of high levels of salt and heavy metals, making it unsuitable for human and animal consumption.
"I used to call myself a farmer, I can't anymore because I cannot farm," Strydom told IPS. She has been forced to put her farm up for sale.
Strydom says she cannot afford to pay up to 1,400 dollars a month to buy "safe water" from Rand Water, the government water supplier, for her remaining cattle and horses.
Read more:
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105920
