Abstract

Business operations under water scarcity requires efficient water management to avoid disruptions to prolong lifespan of the water resources. One way to enhance effective water resource management is the use of approaches that study the system in holistically. One such approach is system dynamic approach. Thus, in this article, water use by mining sector in Botswana is assessed using system dynamic approach. Results indicate that water use per tonne at the mine is highly erratic. Consequently, this leads to ineffective water resource management. Simulation of the developed model reveal that if average water consumption of 0.8 m³/t  is achieved, the mine could have saved a total of 0.26 million m³ for 3 years. Moreover, findings also reveal that water use is also highly erratic. Results from the simulating reveal that reducing water use per tonnage and increasing water reuse will lead to water saving and conservation at the mines.

Key words: System dynamic approach, demand, supply, use, reuse, feedbacks, system, mine.