A family spend the day fishing on the Vaal River. An estimated 12 million people in four provinces, Gauteng, the Free State, North West and Northern Cape, rely on the water from the Vaal River system. Reports reveal that by 2014 the water will not be suitable for human consumption. Posing a threat to health, the economy and food production. Researchers have stated that the problem is caused by acidic water seeping from waste on abandoned mines and the discharge of untreated acidic mine water into rivers and streams tributary to the Vaal River system. If interventions by the government are not urgently put into place, the cost involved could be in the region of R500 billion; the looming pollution crisis could hamper growth and cause a plague of health problems. Mariette Liefferink, chief executive officer of the Federation for a Sustainable Environment warns, âthat toxic water affects the soil and neural development of the foetus, which leads to mental retardation, can cause cancer and cognitive problems