Forty uranium exploration licences in the Stampriet Artesian Basin (SAB) cover a total of area 2.66 million hectares.
This is 40% of the area of the basin. The water table is so high that conventional open pit and underground mines would be flooded immediately. Neither are feasible.
The only way to mine the uranium is by the method known as underground in situ leach-mining (ISL). This method involves injecting leaching chemicals into the ore bodies to dissolve the uranium.
These uranium ore bodies are located underground in the main drinking water aquifer. Red crosses on the map indicate the location of the underground uranium ore bodies. In situ leach-mining is fraught with problems, both surface and underground.
Surface problems are easy to detect but the recurrent underground problems cannot be seen. Leakage underground will contaminate underground aquifers. In situ leach mining presents a massive risk to the quality of the drinking water that sustains all life in the SAB.
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