Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto Group took the opportunity of World Water Day 2023 to release detailed information on the yearly surface water usage its operations across almost three dozen countries in map form on its website.
The map, which may be found here, shows permitted surface water allocation volumes, the annual allocation usage, and the associated catchment runoff from average annual rainfall estimates. Rio Tinto has five years of historic data on the site for comparison purposes and pledges to update the site annually.
Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm said in a press release that accountability for the firm’s water usage is important.
“Water is an essential resource, critical to sustaining biodiversity, people, and economic prosperity. It is also a resource we share with the communities and nature surrounding our operations, so it is essential that we carefully manage our use and hold ourselves accountable to our stakeholders.”
“This interactive database brings a new level of transparency and will enable us to engage more deeply with our stakeholders, seek their feedback on our disclosure and continue to focus our efforts on becoming better water stewards for today and future generations,” he concluded.
Rio Tinto made a commitment to good stewardship of water resources in 2019, establishing this year as its goal for full reporting. The firm says it is in line with the water reporting guidelines of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) Water Stewardship Position Statement. The statement establishes the member organizations’ approach to water stewardship and includes a requirement of robust and transparent water governance, effective water management, and a pledge to collaborate on responsible and sustainable water usage.