1.

Man’s Intervention into Ecology

and Environment- Case Studies
 The natural environment encompasses
 All Living and Non-living things occurring naturally on Earth

 An Ecosystem (also called as environment) is a natural unit

consisting all plants, animals and micro-organisms (Biotic
factors) in an area

 Functioning together with all of non-living physical (Abiotic)

factors of the environment.

 Any unit that includes all of the organisms (ie: the Community) in
a given area interacting with the physical environment

 Flow of energy leads to clearly defined trophic structure, biotic

diversity, and material cycles (i.e.: exchange of materials between
living and nonliving parts) within the system is an ecosystem.
The environment gets disturbed / deteriorated due to various
man made activities
Industrial Development

Mining

Land degradation/encroachments

Conversion of fertile lands into many other developments

Usage of Modern gadgets

Climatic Changes/Global Warming

Quality of Life
Mine is an excavation made in the earth to extract
minerals

Mining is essentially a destructive development

activity where ecology suffers at the altar of
economy

Mining: the activity, occupation, and industry

concerned with the extraction of minerals

Unfortunately in most regions of earth, underground

geological resources (minerals) are superimposed by
above ground biological resources (forests)

This is particularly more prominent in India.

Mining engineering: Practice of applying engineering principles to development,
planning, operation, closure and reclamation of mines

Some terms distinguish various types of mined minerals. Geologically, one can
distinguish the following mineral categories:

Mineral: a naturally occurring inorganic element or compound having an orderly

internal structure and a characteristic chemical composition, crystal form,and physical
properties

Rock: any naturally formed aggregate of one or more types of mineral particles

Economic differences in the nature of mineral deposits is evident in the following

terms:

Ore: a mineral deposit that has sufficient utility and value to be mined at a profit.

Gangue: valueless mineral particles within an ore deposit that must be discarded.

Waste: material associated with an ore deposit that must be mined to get at the ore
and must then be discarded. Gangue is a particular type of Waste.
Scientific mining operations accompanied by
Ecological restoration and regeneration of mined
wastelands

Judicious use of geological resources, with search for

eco-friendly substitutes and alternatives must provide
the answer.

Mining activity leaving a big scar on the mother earth

as no systematic mining was ever attempted and no
effort has ever been made for reclamation of mined
areas.

Huge artificial hillocks have been created as eye sores

as no attempt was ever made to vegetate them with
plantation.
The Mining industry in India is a major economic activity which contributes significantly to
the economy of India. The GDP contribution of the mining industry varies from 2.2% to 2.5%
only but going by the GDP of the total industrial sector it contributes around 10% to 11%.
Even mining done on small scale contributes 6% to the entire cost of mineral production.
Indian mining industry provides job opportunities to around 700,000 individuals.[1]

India is the largest producer of sheet mica, the third largest producer of iron ore and the fifth
largest producer of bauxite in the world. India's metal and mining industry was estimated to
be $106.4bn (£68.5bn) in 2010.[2]
However, the mining in India is also infamous for human right violations and environmental
pollution. The industry has been hit by several high profile mining scandals in recent times.[3]

Both open cast mining and underground mining operations are carried out
and drilling/pumping is undertaken for extracting liquid or gaseous
fuels.The country produces and works with roughly 100 minerals, which
are an important source for earning foreign exchange as well as satisfying
domestic needs. India also exports iron
ore, titanium, manganese, bauxite, granite, and
importscobalt, mercury, graphite etc.
What determines the type of mining?
• Underground v.s. Surface Mining v.s. Solution
– Depth of below surface
– Size of ore body
– Shape of ore body
– Grade
– Type of Ore
What are types of mining?
• Surface
– Strip
– Open Pit
– Placers--Dredging
• Underground
• Solution
 When do you use Surface Mining?

• Large tonnage
• High rates of production
• Overburden (including rock) is thin
Metallic ores:
Ores of the ferrous metals (iron, manganese, molybdenum,and
tungsten) ; base metals (copper, lead, zinc and tin); precious
metals (gold, silver,the platinum group metals)and radioactive
minerals (uranium, thorium, and radium).

Nonmetallic minerals (also known as industrial minerals):

Nonfuel mineral ores that are not associated with production of
metals. These include phosphate, potash, halite, sand, gravel,
limestone, sulfur, and many others.

Fossil fuels (also known as mineral fuels):

Organic mineral substances that can be utilized as fuels, such as
coal, petroleum, natural gas, coal bed methane, gilsonite and tar
sands.
Precursor to Mining
1.Prospecting Search for ore
Direct: physical ($0.05—1.10/tonne)

geologic
Indirect: geophysical, geochemical
b. Locate favorable loci (maps,literature,old mines)
c. Air: aerial photography, airborne geophysics, satellite
d. Surface: ground geophysics,geology
e. Spot anomaly,analyze, evaluate

2. Exploration

Defining extent and value (Ore body) ore

a. Sample (excavation), assay, test
b. Estimate tonnage and grade
c. Valuate deposit (Hoskold formula or discount method): present value income cost
d. Feasibility study: make decision to abandon or develop
Mining Proper
3. Development Opening up ore deposit for 2—5 yr $10—500 million
(Prospect) production or $0.25—10.00/ton

a. Acquire mining rights ($0.275—11.00/tonne)

(purchase or lease),if not done in stage 2
b. File environmental impact statement ,technology, assessment,
permit
c. Construct access roads, transport system
d. Locate surface plant, construct facilities
e. Excavate deposit (strip or sink shaft)
4. Exploitation Large-scale production of 10—30 yr $5—75
million/yr (Mine) ore or $2.00—150/ton

a.Factors in choice of ($2.20—165/tonne) method:

geologic, geographic, economic, environmental, societal safety

b. Types of mining methods

Surface: open pit, open cast, etc.

Underground: room and pillar, block caving, etc.

c. Monitor costs and economic payback (3—10 yr)

Post-mining
5. Reclamation Restoration of site 1—10 yr (Real estate)
a. Removal of plant and buildings ($0.22—4.40/tonne)
b. Reclamation of waste and tailings dumps
c. Monitoring of discharges
 Life Cycle of a Metal Resource

Surface Metal ore Separation Smelting

mining of ore from
gangue Melting Conversion Discarding
metal to product of product

Recycling

Smelting – heating to release metals but creating air pollution and by-products

Chemical removal processes using cyanide to remove gold can create Toxic holding ponds
Iron ore mines at Bellary
Bauxite mining at Shevorys at Yercaud
Bauxite mining at Shevroys
at Yercaud
Chromite Mines in Odisha
Diamond mines in Africa
Coal Mining
Illegal Mining
Iron ore mining at Naomundi
Marble mines in Rajasthan
Neyveli Mines
Open cast Mines
Open cast Mines
Sand Mining
Sukinda Chromite Mines in Odisha
Under ground Mines
Under Ground Mines
Gold mine
Kolar Gold field
 Impacts of Mining
Land Degradation

Dust and Air Pollution

Water Pollution

Noise Pollution

Hydrogeological Disturbances

Loss of Biodiversity

Human Ecological Impact of Mining

 RECLAIMING MEASURES

1.All dump material stacked on either side of roads should be

removed to reclaim the land.

2. All dump hills should be vegetated by native plant species

like Azadirachta indica, Withania somnifera, Aloevera,
Commiphora Wightii, Dendrocalamus strictus (bamboos) which
are of high economic value and can thrive on all kinds of
habitats.

3.The exhausted mines should be refilled with dump material

and reclaimed for agricultural purposes.
 RECLAIMING MEASURES

4. Mined pits are deep and filled with water they should be
developed for “pisiculture”.

5. Dump material should be taken away for construction

purposes. Even some subsidy in transporting the material to
construction sites may be given.

6.Mining activity in the agricultural fields and forest areas

should be stopped immediately.

7.Mining leases should be granted in wastelands only and the

areas for dumping the waste material be specified on
wasteland only.
 RECLAIMING MEASURES
8.Approach of concurrent reclamation of mined out areas by
backfilling and spreading of top soil and sub-soil so as to
restore it to agricultural land should be adopted.

9. Plots of wasteland should be leased out to mine lesser

simultaneously with afforestation being an obligatory condition
attached.

10.Though mine leases are allotted in small size plots, in

practice, it is only a few big mine owners who are working as
proxy

11.Hence big mine owners should be held responsible for

regeneration of land and environmental management
 Environmental Management Plan (EMP) should be prepared
before commencement of a mining project

 which, as a first step, should involve improving of the extent and

reserves of the deposit.

 Mining has to be very systematic from one end to the other

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Important management tool for ensuring optimal use
of natural resources for sustainable development.

 Environmental Management or planning is the study

of unintended consequences of a project.

 Purpose to identify, examine, assess and evaluate

the likely and probable impacts of a proposed project
on environment

 To work out remedial action plans to minimize

adverse impact on the environment

Ministry issued Environmental Impact Assessment

Notification, 2006, which makes environmental
clearance mandatory for the development activities
 Wasteland Reclamation
Is key to environmental rehabilitation and is a well-
recognized procedure for environmental management.

 Concurrent reclamation is one of the new approaches.

Most mine owners are unable to take extensive

restoration, rehabilitation, revegetation and
afforestation measures

Amelioration of environmental hazards resulting from

mining operations.

Owners neither have experience nor expertise to carry

on with such environmental measures