MINING AND QUARRING

AND THEIR IMPACTS ON

ENVIRONMENT
 INTRODUCTION
 Mining is the extraction of valuable
minerals or other geological materials .
 Materials recovered by mining include
base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium
, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale,
rock salt and potash
 A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from
which rock or minerals are extracted.
Quarries are generally used for extracting
building materials, such as dimension stone
 Materials recovered from quarrying are
Granite ,Gritstone ,Gypsum, Limestone,
 Objectives
 To know History, and Types of mining

 To know the Impacts of mining

 To know the Preventive measures

 HISTORY
 Since the beginning of civilization people have
used stone, ceramics and, later, metals found on
or close to the Earth's surface.

 The oldest known mine on archaeological record

is the "Lion Cave" in Swaziland

 Mining in Europe has a very long pedigree,

examples including the silver mines of Laurium,
which helped support the Greek city state of
Athens
 Mining in India…
 56 minerals are exploited including fossil
fuels.

 The number of mines exceed 4000.

 Bihar state contains max mineral resource

 Stages in mining
 Area selection
 Target generation
 Resource evaluation
 Reserve definition
 Profit planning
 Mine construction
 Mining
 Ecological rebuilding
 TYPES
 Open pit mining
 Deep-sea mining
 Coal mining (strip mining)
 Mountaintop removal mining
 Placer mining
 Hard rock mining
 Artisanal mining( includes in situ mining)
 Quantity of waste
generated ?

 20 tones
 Impacts of Mining

 Impacts on Society
 Impacts on Land
 Impacts on Atmosphere
 Impacts on Water Regime
 Impacts on Ecology
 Impacts on Society
 Employment opportunities
 Infrastructure facilities (health care,
education)
 Economic upliftment
 Displacement of people
 Loss of livelihood
 Changes in population dynamics
 Cost of living
 Water scarcity
 Health impacts
Health Impacts

 Serious concerns
about skin and
breathing problems
 Broader Community Impacts

 Splits communities

 People displaced from

homes
 Impacts on Land

 Changes in topography and land scenario

 Change of land-use pattern
 Changes in drainage pattern
 Changes in top soil composition by run off
from
 overburden dumps
 Damage to Archeological / Religious
monuments
 Impacts on Atmosphere
 Increase in temperature in the area- due to
industrial activity
 Decrease in vegetation
 High SPM levels due to vehicle movement .
 Increase in NOx, hydrocarbons, CO and lead
levels due to diesel equipment, generators,
vehicle movement etc.
 Increase in ambient noise
 Tolerance limit (air quality)
Area SPM SO2 CO NOx
category mg/m3
Industrial 500 120 5000 120

Residential 200 80 2000 80

Sensitive 100 30 1000 30

 Impacts on Water Regime
 Changes in surface and ground water
regime
 Removal of surface water bodies
 Damage of all aquifers above the
mineral deposits
 Depletion of Ground Water- Pumping of
high
 pressure aquifers, below the mineral
deposits
Tolerance limit (water quality )
Parameters Into inland On –land for
surface water irrigation
PH value 5.59 5.59

TSS mg/l 100 200

BOD mg/l 30 100

COD mg/l 250

 Impacts on Ecology
 Removal of vegetation, affects fauna too
 Pollution of water bodies affects aquatic
ecology
 High fugitive emissions and release of other
gaseous emissions- retard growth Of
vegetation
 Water scarcity and change in water
regimedevastate
 agriculture & stunt growth of vegetation
 Noise pollution due to blasting and
subsequent
 vibration – drives away wild animals
Environmental Impacts (1)
Environmental Impacts (2)
 Case studies…..
EXPLOITATION OF IRON ORE IN KUDREMUKH
AREAS, KARNATAKA
 close to sea coast, area drained by Bhadra
river.
 Planned to mine 22Mt of ROM grade ore to
produce 7.5Mt con. Ore /yr.
 Extensive mining impacts on vegetation and
Bhadra river.
LIME STONE QUARRYING IN MUSSOORIE
HILLS (H.P)
 Doon valley of UP ( lesser Himalayan belt)
 Extensive mining results in deforestation
of 75% of natural forest,25% of private
forest.
 Over a year soil erosion results in land and
rock slides.
 In recent year people shows concern and
closed some mines.
 EXPLOITATION OF COAL IN JHARIA
COALFIELD IN BIHAR
 only respiratory metalorgical grade coking
coal in India and is unique to environmental
problems
 Out of 455 sq km, over 35 sq km land has
been affected directly.
 Ground water regime modification, poor
growth of crop, reduction in the milk yield of
cattle's.
 Preventive measures
 Practicing sustainable mining
 Generation of dust is minimized by
maintaining adequate moisture in the soil.
 Use of dust extractors
 Optimizing the blasting design
 Create awareness among the peoples
through proper education.
 CONCLUSION..
 Mining of minerals, being an
environmentally unfriendly activity.
 So to reduce its impacts on environment it
should be legalized or it should be carried
out in proper channel through law and order
 Sustainable mining should be carried out.