In this study, neutral mine drainage (NMD) was polished using hydroponic floating wetland (HFTW) planted with Vetiver grass. Specifically, the pilot HFTW was constructed using a plastic drum of 100 litres capacity and a rectangular plastic basin measuring 60 cm (length), 45 cm (width) and 20 cm (height). The water was flowing in continuous drops from the drum to the treatment cell where leachates were collected daily and analyzed for chemical species concentration for a period of 40 days. The results revealed a slight pH increase with an increment of 0.9, while the chemical species removal obeyed the following order: Cu (100%) = Ni (100%) = Zn (100%) > Fe (99.6%) > Al (99%) > Mn (94%) > SO42─ (75%) > EC (50%). The bioaccumulation factor and root/shoot ratio results revealed that various mechanisms including hydraulic control, phytoaccumulation, phytodegradation, phytostabilization, phytovolatilization, rhizodegradation and rhizofiltration were involved in inorganic pollutants removal. The high resolution-scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (HR-SEM-EDS), and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis displayed the presence of chemical species in Vetiver grass roots while Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) results revealed difference in roots surface area. The treated water met drinking water standard set by the World Health Organization (WHO) proving that potable fresh water can be reclaimed from NMD using HFTW.