AJ-Core to solve serious environmental issues
FRANCISTOWN: The Department of Road, Transport and Safety (DRTS) representative Dr Abraham Mathodi has said the Africa-Japan collaborative research (AJ-Core ) will solve serious environmental problems associated with mining.
Mathodi said this during the AJ-Core project launching recently in Selibe Phikwe.
The project is titled: ‘Sustainable well-being through rapid detection, remediation and stakeholder awareness of contaminants in environments impacted by mining activities.’
It is in collaboration between Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), University of Johannesburg in South Africa and Shibaura Institute of Technology, Kagoshima University, Kyoto University from Japan.
According to DRTS representative Mathodi, they strongly believe that their research could be a lot more productive in generating new knowledge and in addressing society’s problems through collaboration.
As a result, their scientists extensively collaborate with their peers within Botswana and internationally on different scientific researches.
“The project we are launching today is a good example of the research activities conducted by our staff. The project aims at solving a serious environmental problem in Botswana and involve scientists from BIUST, South Africa, and Japan,” he said.
Mathodi stated that mining activities are often associated with environmental pollution.
Therefore, he noted that their scientists are actively involved in monitoring the level of pollution and the development of methods for the rehabilitation of polluted habitats.
Speaking about the project, BIUST Professor Venecio Ultra said the aim of the project is to provide heavy metal free water and food to communities impacted by mining activities in Botswana.
He further stated that integrated research activities will bring social outcomes in the form of heavy metals
(HMs) distribution maps in soil, water and their content in micro plastics.
Ultra indicated that HMs remediation techniques will create economic benefits as well as ensure safety of food produced in mining areas. “Another measurable project outcome is the provision of affordable water filters with HMs and microorganism retention ability, and rapid HMs detection method to communities living in mining towns,” said Professor Ultra.
Ultra said that the project will look at the impact of mining in local abandoned mines.
He highlighted on the impact mining activities giving scenarios of the BCL mine in Selebi-Phikwe and Monarch Gold mine here.
Some of the scenarios include poor mine waste management leading to elevation of heavy metals in soil and high metal load in surface and ground water.