Mining and Environment
Mining is an important part of a plethora of industries that are responsible to produce products that have become a staple in people’s lives. However, mining wreaks havoc on the environment, affecting the local, regional and global areas by the emitted chemicals through the process. These impacts include erosion, contamination of groundwater, soil and surface water and loss of biodiversity in the surrounding regions. At times, these impacts are so adverse that countries have to incorporate stringent rehabilitation codes so as to bring the region back to its previous state.
Here, we describe a few impacts of mining in detail.
Erosion
Erosion is a commonly experienced impact of mining. It affects the nearby hillsides, tailings dams, mine dumps, etc. It can also result in siltation of creeks, drainages and rivers, and can profoundly impact the ecosystem in the surrounding areas.
Water Pollution
The mining process involves large amounts of water, such as in draining, aqueous extraction, cooling and other processes, which can lead to contaminating nearby streams or groundwater if proper precaution is not taken. Harmful chemicals, such as arsenic, mercury, sulfuric acid, etc. can contaminate the nearby groundwater at mining sites.
Because mining involves large amounts of water that is mostly contaminated, disposal options are limited. If this water is disposed of in nearby land or forests, it can cause devastation to the vegetation. Better options for disposal include submarine tailings disposal, refilling of mine and land storage.
Disruption Of Biodiversity
The presence of a mine is itself a huge habitat modification, the effects of which can be observed long after the mining activities have ceased. The effect on biodiversity is immense, as modification in the original site and harmful substance release occurs widely in mining procedures. In addition to the disruption in habitats, direct poisoning through toxic chemicals and indirect poisoning by water and food can also affect vegetation, animals and microorganisms. Furthermore, the changes in temperature and pH levels can also effect the nearby communities.
Effect On Aquatic Organisms
Mining also poses a threat to the aquatic life nearby the mining sites. The toxic chemicals can directly poison the aquatic life when the contaminants present in sediment are mobile. Moreover, mining also causes a modification in the pH levels of the water body, causing disruption in the marine life.
Another effect that mining has on aquatic life is the increased presence of suspended sediments in the water body. This limits the light inside the waterbed and thus deplete algae biomass. There can also occur a deposition of metal oxide on the algae, limiting colonization.
Effects On Vegetation In Nearby Areas
Like the nearby water bodies, soil can be contaminated with heavy metals and metalloids in the vicinity of a mining site. Mostly the foliage cannot tolerate these levels of metal concentration and eventually die. However, some of the species of vegetation are resilient enough to tolerate the contaminated soil and many non-native vegetation species can also migrate to surrounding lands. But all in all, mining negatively affects the vegetation in the surrounding areas of the site.
Effects On Humans
Like other species, humans are also affected with mining processes. Mining procedures emit toxic particles in the air, such as cadmium, arsenic particles, as well as several gases, such as SOx, etc. that can lead to various lung and skin conditions. The diseases that miners can often be seen suffering from, are silicosis, asbestosis, black lung disease, etc. Moreover, mining activities contaminate the underground water and surrounding waterbeds that are the source of drinking water for people.
While mining has a host of adverse effects, if regulatory authorities take proper measures and ensure productivity of the land after all mining activities, these effects can be significantly eliminated.
