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
DrHusain Shabbar
IndependentConsultantGeologist

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
 Noise is created by equipment and
blasting.
 Equipment noise pollution is more
of a nuisance.
 Blasting noise pollution can cause
damage to nearby buildings.

5. Surface and Groundwater
Contamination
 Water that seeps into mines or
through piles of mine waste can
pick up or dissolve toxic
substances.
 The acidic solution formed,
characteristic of high metals and
sulphate and low PH.
 Contaminated water from this
solution calledAcid Mine
Drainage (AMD).

6. Surface and Groundwater
Contamination
 Acid generation and drainage
affect both surface and
groundwater.
 AMD can be severe. High
concentrations of metals and acidic
conditions can have adverse effects
on fish, aquatic plant communities
and humans.

7. Erosion and Sedimentation
 Excess rock from mines is dumped
into large piles called dumps.
 Running water erodes unprotected
dumps and transports sediments.
 sedimentation occurs at some point
downstream from the erosive source.
 Erosion and sedimentation affect
surface water and wetlands more than
any other media.
 Erosion can adversely affect soil
organisms, vegetation, and
revegetation effort.

8. Cyanide & Other Toxic Releases
 Cyanide and other toxic chemicals
used for processing can be released
into the environment.
 The cyanide-contaminated solution
left after valuable minerals have
been removed is placed in
a tailings pond.
 subsequently affect water, soil,
aquatic organisms, wildlife,
waterfowl, and humans.

9. Fugitive Dust Emissions and Air
Pollution
 Dust is produced by removing,
loading, hauling, and dumping soil
and overburden.
 Mining and quarrying operations
send mineral dusts into the air.
 Dust can contain toxic heavy
metals such as arsenic, lead, and
other. These toxic heavy metals,
when incorporated with dust can
contaminate the air.

10. Fugitive Dust Emissions and Air
Pollution
 Air pollution caused by smelting
and treatment of ores, especially
sulphide ores (copper, lead, zinc
etc.) result in the release of SO2
into the air in enormous amounts.
 Fall-out over the surrounding area
is destructive to both human health
and vegetation.

11. Habitat Modification
 The large disturbances caused by
mining can disrupt environments,
adversely affecting aquatic
habitats, terrestrial habitats and
wetlands that many organisms rely
on for survival.
 The release of particulates and
chemicals can all have indirect
impacts on various habitats.

12. Soil Degradation
 Overburden removal from the
mine area results in a very
significant loss of rain forest and
the rich top soil.
 This is useless for the industry and
is normally just stored in big piles
within the mine lease area, and
sometimes, on public land.
 Open-pit mines produce 8 to 10
times as much waste as
underground mines.

13. Subsidence
 The sinking of regions of ground
with little or no horizontal
movement.
 Caused when pillars in a mind
collapse or the mine roof or floor
fails.
 Buildings, houses, roads, bridges,
underground pipelines and utilities
may be damaged.
 Explosions, fires, Loss of wildlife
or human life.

14. Underground Mine Fires
 Fires in underground coal seams
are one of the most serious
environmental consequences of
coal mining
 Lighting, forest fires and burning
trash can cause coal-seam fires.
 These fires are hard to put out and
often left to burn out.
 They release smoke and gasses
that can cause respiratory
problems.

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

16. Thank you