. Energy companies are focused on boosting production and lowering costs associated with so-called fracking, a technique that uses high-pressure injections of water, sand and chemicals to break apart petroleum-saturated rock. The more thoroughly the rock is cracked, the more oil and gas will flow from each well. The world’s largest oilfield service providers are [...]

Residents of Ballito, on the North Coast, who are experiencing water shortages, have been urged to use water sparingly. This appeal was made on Thursday by Sembcorp Siza Water and Umgeni Water in the wake of an unprecedented increase in demand on the Avondale reservoir. The appeal was aimed at encouraging households and businesses in [...]

Mining – Still too many mines operating without a water licence A reply to a Democratic Alliance (DA) parliamentary question has revealed that 69 mines in South Africa are operating without a valid water licence. This figure is an improvement on the June 2010 figure, when 125 mines were operating without a water use licence. [...]

A controversial method of drilling for oil and natural gas appears to be the cause of groundwater pollution in a central Wyoming town, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday. The EPA last month said it had found compounds associated with chemicals used in the drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in the groundwater beneath [...]

Durban – Efforts to establish water as an agenda item in its own right in climate change negotiations are gaining momentum in Durban. Water experts say doing this will lead to a greater focus on developing policy, and attract more resources into the water sector through adaptation programmes. “For every one of us, the first [...]

South Africa’s biggest seawater desalination plant has opened in the seaside town of Mossel Bay in the Western Cape province. This facility will ensure that the economic hub achieves greater water security and economic growth going into the future. The plant, which has a capacity of 15-million megalitres per day, started operating in September but [...]

Durban – The eThekwini municipality has allayed fears that its drinking water may have been contaminated during the recent floods which left a trail of destruction and claimed lives. “We would like to assure all our residents and thousands of delegates attending the climate change conference that our drinking water was not affected by floods,” [...]

Thousands of people face evacuation from Gauteng due to toxic sludge from abandoned gold mines laced with high radiation levels. Emergency plans are being drawn up to stop toxic water flowing into Johannesburg. Acid Mine water, the result of groundwater flowing through underground shafts, is decanting from an old Rand Uranium mine near Krugersdorp and [...]