Why must we be concerned about our water quality?

In this blog I will be posting about South Africa’s growing problem of water pollution, specifically addressing the affects that mines have on water pollution in the South African Environment. This is an issue I feel strongly about because I know that with more and more people on the planet there is a greater demand for water making it fundamental for us to try keep our most important resource clean and safe to use and drink. If mines continue to create waste that ends up in our precious water system we will have a crisis on our hands. This blog will highlight local and global thoughts on the affects mining has on water pollution, link the scenario to an ad/media campaign, look at a South African case study that illustrates the issue along with the influences on societies directly involved with the issue.

I feel that water pollution is an environmental issue that has gone unnoticed especially with regards to the effect mines have on water pollution. In my opinion, governments are to concerned with making money now, today, and less concerned about the long term effects that are now nearly irreversible. In countries such as America and Canada governments are taking better care of mines and monitoring them closely with regards to where they are disposing their waste. But in South Africa mining has been poorly monitored. Mines are often abandoned and left alone to deteriorate. This results in acid mine drainage and the long-term effects are catastrophic. Not only do we have less drinking water available, animals and precious plants are harmed. I want to try and create some sort of awareness about this growing issue and I hope that something gets done about it soon.