SRK promotes water stewardship with global standard

In mining, water management has been ranked by Ernst & Young as the number one environmental, social and governance risk. One solution being offered by the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) is the International Water Stewardship Standard.

SRK Consulting’s principal consultant Fiona Sutton pointed out that water stewardship and biodiversity (the latter ranked eighth in EY’s 2023 risks) were fast becoming urgent priorities. Factors putting pressure on water resources included population growth, shifts toward more meat-based diets, climate change and other challenges.

“The AWS standard offers a credible and globally applicable framework for major water users to understand their own water use and impacts with practical guidance on how to effectively manage these impacts,” said SRK Consulting managing director Andrew van Zyl.

AWS is a global membership collaboration comprising businesses, NGOs and the public sector. Members contribute to the sustainability of local water-resources through their adoption and promotion of a universal framework for the sustainable use of water that drives, recognizes and rewards good water stewardship performance. 

AWS’s Water stewardship standard offers a framework for major water users to understand their own water use and impacts, and to work collaboratively and transparently with others for sustainable water management within the wider water catchment context. Implementers follow the steps and guidance in the AWS Standard to achieve good water stewardship practices that improve site water performance and contribute to wider sustainability goals.

Andrew van Zyl, will be attending African Mining Indaba in Cape Town in Feb. 2023. African Mining Indaba is the world’s largest mining investment conference, dedicated to the capitalization and development of mining in Africa.

To learn more, visit www.SRK.com.