A small town located in South Africa named Jagersfontien, has a history of over a century in mining. However, on the 11th of September, the townsmen experienced a severe tragedy when the mining dam flooded over the embankments which were supposed to hold the water.
The Jagersfontein mine traces its origins to a 50-carat diamond discovery in 1870. Mining began in earnest shortly after that and continued until 1971. Notable diamonds uncovered included the Excelsior and Reitz diamonds.
The muddy water which cascaded over the embankments, was a result of diamond extraction from the mines. All mining operations leave tailings, as such there are over 200 tailing facilities in South Africa. While initial extraction removes most of the sought minerals, tailings facilities can become resources once again as extractive technologies improve.
Tailings dam failures occur due to neglect, weak foundations and unbalanced stress for the walls that hold the water. Due to this, these dams require firm management structures and responsible officials to overlook the maintenance of the dam.
Previous tragedies in South Africa include the Merriespruit failure in 1994, resulting in 17 fatalities, and the Bafokeng failure in 1974, resulting in 12 fatalities. Heavy rainfall resulted in over-topping at Merriespruit and Bafokeng, but over-topping can also occur due to poor planning.
The tragedy that took place in Jagersfontien killed one person and destroyed many homes leaving the locals in a state of shock and sadness.
Whilst South African authorities are striving to establish a proper system, immediate work is required to match global trends. Furthermore, proper regulatory bodies have to be appointed to overlook mining operations and implement disaster management and relief.
