QMM Water management

We know that water is a vital, shared resource that is integral to the lives and livelihoods of those communities surrounding QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM) operations, and to the region’s long-term environmental stability. Access to clean drinking water is also a fundamental human right. 

We take our responsibility to manage water very seriously. 

Our water strategy provides an integrated approach to managing QMM’s current and future water-related challenges and objectives, across 3 pillars:  

Reporting

We have published our Water Report 2021-2023 which provides further detail on the water strategy, and water quality data and performance.

Water management requires continual evaluation and analysis to ensure that we avoid and mitigate potential impacts of our operations and implement leading practice. Together with our stakeholders, QMM is committed to continue developing solutions that work long-term.

Monitoring 

We conduct an extensive monitoring program on water quality within the mine lease area and around Mandena, in compliance with regulatory requirements. We also conduct additional monitoring and sampling of groundwater, surface water, and marine water quality for the Port activities as part of this program.

Working with the community 

The communities where we operate are central to our water management strategy and sustainable mining vision.  

We are implementing a community-centred water monitoring approach focused on:

• Information sharing: We actively engage with communities to explain how we operate and use water, and to learn about their water needs. In 2024, we hosted more than 500 people at site to explain how we operate and our water management process. QMM's mobile community kiosks have reached over 3,500 people, providing community members with an opportunity to better understand QMM's operations and ask questions and raise concerns. 
• Community monitoring program: We are progressing a community monitoring program which includes community insights on weather, aquatic life, water and other environmental factors, to help our environmental assessments and foster a shared understanding of the ecosystem. Experts in citizen science from the University College London visited QMM in October 2024, to understand the local context and discuss a potential framework that may be suitable for the Malagasy environment. We aim to begin a pilot in 2025.