The incident has prompted an investigation by the department of water and sanitation and the Limpopo — Olifants catchment management agency. ### NUT GRAF: The collapse of the tailings dam, which stores waste materials from mining operations, has caused significant damage to infrastructure and raised concerns about environmental impact.
The mud flow has disrupted electricity supply to the surrounding areas, including Brits and Hennops, and has polluted the river, potentially affecting local ecosystems and communities.
### BODY: The mud flow, triggered by the collapse of the dam’s sidewalls, sent a large volume of muddy material towards the neighboring Eland Mine.
According to a report by MiningMX, employees at Eland Mine’s Maroelabult shaft noticed that the access road from the R566 had been covered in a large amount of mud. Mine personnel later reported that the sidewalls of the Dikwena tailings facility appeared to have collapsed, causing the muddy material to flow towards the mine.
The incident also caused damage to Eskom infrastructure, disrupting electricity supply to Brits, Hennops, and surrounding areas. Samancor Chrome spokesperson Sunel Pretorius told the SABC that the incident is still under investigation and that no injuries have been reported. She said the company is working with the relevant authorities, while clean-up and repair work has already started.
The railway line and Eskom power lines were damaged due to the mud flow.
The waste was prevented from flowing towards the R566 provincial road by a railway line embankment and some berms (earthen barriers) at the adjacent Eland Mine. This has since prompted an investigation by the water and sanitation department and the Limpopo-Olifants catchment management agency.
The department’s spokesperson, Wisane Mavasa, said the dam breach occurred at about 5:30 pm on Thursday. Authorities confirmed that almost all the tailings (waste materials left after valuable minerals are extracted during mining) and slimes stored in one of the facility’s compartments were released. Mavasa said the northern wall of compartment 1B “collapsed and failed, releasing almost all the tailings/slimes which were stored in the compartment. “.
### KICKER: As the investigation into the tailings dam collapse continues, concerns are growing about the safety of similar structures in the region.
The incident highlights the potential risks associated with mining operations and the need for robust safety measures to prevent such disasters in the future. ### [WATCH: Tailings dam wall collapse causes massive mud flow near Brits — iol.
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*Additional reporting by ImNews | Sources consulted: 5*
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This original article was produced by the ImNews editorial team
Source: Google News v2
