Evaluation of Impacts

back

The ever increasing scales of mining have been resulting in intense conflicts between mines and their external environment - social, physical and biological (IIED and WBCSD 2OO2, Negi 1985, Rajvanshi 1998). The cement producing plants and their captive mines often bring about a series of changes of temporary as well as irreversible nature which if not arrested through appropriate mitigation measures may even cause irreversible damage to the ecosystem.

The predictive stage of EIA follows the impacts due to the proposed project activities and investigates its subsequent impact on the various environmental components. The brief of this study was to specifically evaluate the project induced direct and indirect impacts on the ecological receptors.

The process of prediction of ecological impacts was based on straight forward approach of relating sources of stress to ecological receptors identified in the project area. The key characteristics of the project and the ecosystem components considered in the ecological impact assessment are presented in the following box.

 The available guidance from the sourcebooks of the World Bank (Davy 1998) and Sectoral Assessment (ERL 1993) also helped in considering various parameters for developing an impact profile (Table 6.1).

Table 6.1 Potential environmental impacts of mining

Impacts from project siting

 · loss of sensitive and/or valued ecology

· degradation of underdeveloped areas through improved access and increased use

· damage to cultural resources and historic sites

· health and socio-economic impacts to indigenous rural populations

Impacts from operations

Impact receptor

Nature of impacts

Human environment

 · increased direct and induced employment opportunities, income & wealth

· increased wealth

· human environment

· increased goods and services

· improved access, particularly to previously inaccessible areas

· conflicts with existing land uses and displacement of existing uses

· subsidence risk to local farmers and to rural livelihoods and cultures

· damage to cultural sites

· increased demands on services and facilities, social and cultural conflicts, community instability

· 'boom bust' economic, social and cultural conflicts and displacement of local populations

· road damage, traffic delays, health and accident risks

· secondary developments

Natural environment

Impacts on landform

 

 · removal and transfer of large amounts of rock and soil and its deposition as spoil elsewhere

· total disruption and modification of landscapes

· changes, possibly irrevocably, to underground and surface drainage

· loss of existing land uses

· loss or burial of vegetation and farm land under mine spoil

· damage to wetlands and coastal areas

· use of stream banks and shorelines for waste disposal and ancillary facilities

· disruption, blockage and re-routing of stream channels and creation of residual ponds

Land

Impacts on terrestrial ecology

 

 · reduced reproduction and populations of wildlife due to habitat modification and loss (e.g. breeding grounds, nurseries) and indirect disturbances from noise and fumes

· Increased wildlife mortality from road traffic and surface disturbance

· degradation of vegetation (and soil) from flooding of contaminated watercourses

· modification of vegetation and introduction of non-native species

· loss of birds and animals due to contamination from tailing and leach ponds

· denuding of vegetation due to toxicity

Water

Impacts on aquatic ecology

Soil

Impacts on soil

 

· contamination of surface areas with mineralized/toxic rock material (eg. deposition of mining wastes)

Air

Impacts on air

 

· degradation of air quality and visibility from airborne particulate resulting from blasting, excavation, earth moving, transportation and material transfer operation

 

 


Last Updated: October 7, 2015