1a) Groundwater is the main source of water for domestic supply in the region. The settlements of Koingnaas, Hondeklip Bay and Samson Bak derive water from the Somnaas Noup aquifer located about 20 km north of Koingnaas. Two boreholes, BH 12 and BH 14, are currently in use. A third borehole, BH15 adjacent to BH 12, is equipped and used as a standby borehole.
b) the mining companies use water from the Somnaas-Noup aquifer in the specified municipality.
(2) West coast Resources Pty Ltd: Namaqualand Mine applied for a water use licence which was issued on 23 June 2017. Conditions of the licence includes the following:
(3) Please refer to the response above.
(4) It is a prerequisite for any mining licence holder to conduct an environmental impact study to ensure what the effect of mining will be on the water resources. A report on geohydrological impact assessment for West Coast Resources Diamond mining operations along the west coast around Koingnaas, Northern Cape province: was concluded in 2016 with a Ref number: 2016/ENV008, dated July 2016, amongst others the report made the following reference “Groundwater represents the main source of water for domestic supply in the region. The settlements of Koingnaas, Hondeklip Bay and Samson Bak derive water from the Somnaas Noup aquifer located about 20 km north of Koingnaas. Two boreholes, BH 12 and BH 14, are currently in use. A third borehole, BH15 adjacent to BH 12, is equipped and used as a standby borehole”.
a-b) For the town of Koingnaas, the report made the following reference:
(5) A copy of the licence is attached as Annexure A.