The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) has released a new report showing 65.7% of mining and metals facilities worldwide are located in areas facing significant physical water risk.
The report and dataset, available on ICMM’s website, gathered data from 12,000 facilities across 148 countries. Other key findings include 38.2% of facilities in catchments with high baseline water stress, 27% exposed to high drought risk and 14% operating in high flood risk areas.
The dataset also showed that water risk exposure is not evenly distributed. In Chile, for example, 85.8% of facilities face high baseline water stress — more than double the global average. Data from Africa and the Middle East showed similar results.
A starting point
Water scarcity can slow mineral processing because many extraction steps such as crushing, flotation, leaching and tailings management rely on steady water supplies.
In the report, ICMM says as demand for minerals and metals grows to support energy transition, understanding water risk is a necessity.
“If water risk exposure is not better understood and managed across the wider economy, we risk sleepwalking into a major constraint on the energy transition,” said Emma Gagen, ICMM’s director of data and research. She added the mining industry needs to adopt better stewardship principles. “This dataset is a starting point for others to explore, use and collaborate with us to continue improving the collective picture of water risk across the industry.”
Crystal Davis, the global director for food, land and water programs and the World Resources Institute, said, “Responsible mining starts with shared access to credible, publicly available data on where water risks are greatest.”
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