System critical infrastructure refers to any system, function or asset that plays a vital role in a country’s security, economy, public health or public safety.  Ensuring the maintenance of such infrastructure requires ongoing monitoring to avoid the disruption of normal operations and to ensure that vital infrastructure continues to function even in the event of faults, disasters or failures.

Global engineering services and consultancy company DMT Group has launched a new online resource to support domestic and international owners and operators of critical infrastructure, offering a portfolio of supporting services for vital systems and assets including power stations, healthcare facilities, roads, waterways, bridges and tunnels.

The DMT Group is part of TUVNord and is represented in South Africa by its subsidiary, DMT Kai Batla. The local company provides a range of services to the mining industry in Southern Africa, including environmental consulting, exploration services, mineral economics and compliance verification.

DMT Kai Batla has recently expanded its local environment service offering to include the compilation and review of financial provisions and reports for mine closures.

Shaft closures

The company outlines the difficulties of effectively sealing of mine openings and shafts in order to prevent access to old mine workings, which may be seen as a source of minerals and materials with economic value, such as abandoned rails, pipes, cables and fittings. Finding an effective solution to the problem has become even more critical for mining companies, in light of new regulations promulgated by the Department of Environmental Affairs , Forestry and Fisheries requiring a full 10 years of monitoring of a mine after formal closure of operations. 

The DMT Group asserts that it is endeavouring to harness the tools of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to implement real-time, remote monitoring of almost every environmental parameter of a mine, using elements such as data security, continuous data logging and instant access.

The group’s SAFEGUARD system utilises networked sensors to record information about water levels, pH, slope stability, shaft stability, seismicity, amongst other parameters, to enable data-rich, efficient and continuous monitoring. The system has been deployed on mining sites in Germany, Romania and elsewhere and is now available in South Africa through DMT Kai Batla.

Services for mine water

DMT provides a range of services specifically related to mine water and industrial water management, including hydrological studies, water management studies, flood protection studies, river protection studies, surface water modelling, coastal shore protection studies and environmental impact assessments.

DMT Kai Batla has completed several water-related projects in South Africa, including water cycle modelling in the East Rand – developing a model that includes groundwater, water run-off dumps, river water, surface water and mine water. The company also developed the prognosis tools for the expected discharge qualities for all contaminant sources, such as tailings, mines and dumps, in the East-Rand Basin and evaluated the specific contaminant load after flooding.

Other local projects include Water Use License Audits for various clients and Basic Assessment and Water Use License Application For The Proposed Installation Of A Hydropower Unit On The Mooi-Mngeni Transfer Scheme, KwaZulu Natal Province.

DMT Kai Batla offers a range of water management-related services to the South African market, including investigations supporting licensing and solutions for industrial and mine water installations, desalination and the monitoring and process control of effluent water.