WATER ACCOUNTING IN KAZAKHSTAN'S MINING

Abstract

Mining activities can substantially influence water resources, and water availability is critically important, especially in regions subject to water scarcity. Therefore, gaining publicly available data on water usage within Kazakhstan’s mining sector and understanding its water use can provide valuable insights into broader industry practices. The objective of this study is to utilize the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) water accounting framework to evaluate water use in a mining company in Kazakhstan. Particularly, this research aims to shed light on practices in water management at Kazakhstan’s mines and identify water-related risks. It was found that the Exploration Point mine site has successfully achieved a considerable level of water reuse during its operations, where water reuse grew by 8.74% annually, with an average reuse rate of 82% of the water used for operations. However, a substantial proportion of water is still entrained in waste, along with an excessive reliance on freshwater intake. According to these results, various barriers to water management were identified, and suggestions for improvement were proposed. Our research demonstrates presence of opportunities to optimize water consumption at the mine site. Water accounting and reporting based on the ICMM framework promotes greater transparency and improves social and environmental performance of a mine.