Environmental Impacts of Mining and Mitigation Measures

Environmental Impacts of Mining and Mitigation Measures
Mining activities can have significant environmental impacts at various stages, from exploration to extraction and processing.
Mining often requires the removal of vegetation and topsoil, leading to habitat destruction and fragmentation.
The removal of vegetation and topsoil can increase the vulnerability of the land to erosion.

Mining operations can also expose bare rock surfaces that are prone to erosion.

Mitigation Measures: Implementing erosion control measures, such as contouring the land and establishing vegetation cover, can help prevent soil erosion.

Sedimentation ponds and silt fences can be used to capture sediment and prevent it from entering nearby water bodies.

1. Environmental
Impacts of Mining
and Mitigation
Measures
DrHusainShabbar
Independent Consultant Geologist

2. Environmental Impacts of
Mining and Mitigation Measures
There are different phases of a mining project, beginning with mineral ore
exploration and ending with the post-closure period.
Each phase of mining is associated with different sets of environmental
impacts.
The environment of the life layer is affected adversely in many varied ways
by removal of mineral deposits and by processing these substances.
There are also direct threats upon man’s safety and health as he engages in
these activities.

3. Environmental Impacts of
Mining
Noise pollution
Surface and Groundwater Contamination
Erosion and Sedimentation
Cyanide & Other Toxic Releases
Fugitive Dust Emissions
Habitat Modification
Soil Degradation
Subsidence
Underground Mine Fires

4. Noise Pollution
Noiseiscreatedbyequipmentand
blasting.
Equipmentnoisepollutionismore
ofanuisance.
Blastingnoisepollutioncancause
damagetonearbybuildings.

5. Surface and Groundwater
Contamination
Water that seeps into mines or
through piles of mine waste can
pick up or dissolve toxic
substances.
Theacidicsolutionformed,
characteristicofhighmetalsand
sulphateandlowPH.
Contaminated water from this
solution called Acid Mine
Drainage (AMD).

6. Surface and Groundwater
Contamination
Acidgenerationanddrainage
affectbothsurfaceand
groundwater.
AMDcanbesevere.High
concentrationsofmetalsandacidic
conditionscanhaveadverseeffects
onfish,aquaticplantcommunities
andhumans.

7. Erosion and Sedimentation
Excessrockfromminesisdumped
intolargepilescalleddumps.
Runningwatererodesunprotected
dumpsandtransportssediments.
sedimentationoccursatsomepoint
downstreamfromtheerosivesource.
Erosionandsedimentationaffect
surfacewaterandwetlandsmorethan
anyothermedia.
Erosioncanadverselyaffectsoil
organisms,vegetation,and
revegetationeffort.

8. Cyanide & Other Toxic Releases
Cyanideandothertoxicchemicals
usedforprocessingcanbereleased
intotheenvironment.
Thecyanide-contaminatedsolution
leftaftervaluablemineralshave
beenremovedisplacedin
atailingspond.
subsequentlyaffectwater,soil,
aquaticorganisms,wildlife,
waterfowl,andhumans.

9. Fugitive Dust Emissions and Air
Pollution
Dustisproducedbyremoving,
loading,hauling,anddumpingsoil
andoverburden.
Miningandquarryingoperations
sendmineraldustsintotheair.
Dustcancontaintoxicheavy
metalssuchasarsenic,lead,and
other.Thesetoxicheavymetals,
whenincorporatedwithdustcan
contaminatetheair.

10. Fugitive Dust Emissions and Air
Pollution
Airpollutioncausedbysmelting
andtreatmentofores,especially
sulphideores(copper,lead,zinc
etc.)resultinthereleaseofSO2
intotheairinenormousamounts.
Fall-outoverthesurroundingarea
isdestructivetobothhumanhealth
andvegetation.

11. Habitat Modification
Thelargedisturbancescausedby
miningcandisruptenvironments,
adverselyaffectingaquatic
habitats,terrestrialhabitatsand
wetlandsthatmanyorganismsrely
onforsurvival.
Thereleaseofparticulatesand
chemicalscanallhaveindirect
impactsonvarioushabitats.

12. Soil Degradation
Overburdenremovalfromthe
minearearesultsinavery
significantlossofrainforestand
therichtopsoil.
Thisisuselessfortheindustryand
isnormallyjuststoredinbigpiles
withinthemineleasearea,and
sometimes,onpublicland.
Open-pitminesproduce8to10
timesasmuchwasteas
undergroundmines.

13. Subsidence
Thesinkingofregionsofground
withlittleornohorizontal
movement.
Causedwhenpillarsinamind
collapseortheminerooforfloor
fails.
Buildings, houses, roads, bridges,
underground pipelines and utilities
may be damaged.
Explosions, fires, Loss of wildlife
or human life.

14. Underground Mine Fires
Firesinundergroundcoalseams
areoneofthemostserious
environmentalconsequencesof
coalmining
Lighting,forestfiresandburning
trashcancausecoal-seamfires.
Thesefiresarehardtoputoutand
oftenlefttoburnout.
Theyreleasesmokeandgasses
thatcancauserespiratory
problems.

15. Mitigation Measures in Mining
Environments
Reclamation
Soil treatment
Water treatment
Preventing acid rock drainage
Controlling gas emissions

16. Thank you