On the first day of on-site/in-person talks and seminars at the 2022 Stockholm World Water Week, yesterday, a special session titled ‘Clean Groundwater – Our Hidden Treasure’ highlighted the importance of groundwater as a resource around the world. A South African expert formed part of the panel and spoke about the threat mining holds to the water source.

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.

Factors that threaten groundwater in every corner of the globe, be it pollution or climate change, were discussed.

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:

Read other articles, exclusive to Caxton Local Media and Group Editors sites, about World Water Week here:

World Water Week: Water and sanitation minister welcomes SA delegates to Stockholm

*Blake Linder of Knysna-Plett Herald is in Sweden to report on the 2022 World Water Week Conference currently being hosted in Stockholm.