These guidelines cover mining and mineral benefication operations on land only and do not apply to exploitation of minerals in the oceanic region or oil exploration and drilling. These guidelines highlight the salient aspects of problems associated with mining and briefly indicate the following safeguards to be incorporated during planning and operational phases of mining projects.

• Effluents should be treated to conform to the standard laid down by the Central & State Boards for Prevention and Control of Water Pollution before discharge and wherever practicable, the mine water should be utilised for irrigation of the plantations raised to stabilize the mine waste dumps.

• Techniques to control acid mine drainage should be standardized and wherever possible techniques to prevent the formation of acid mine drainage at source should be developed.

• For proper solid waste management, area for disposal site should be identified on a secure and impervious base (solid rock if possible), and away from natural water courses.

• Wastes with abnormally high concentrations of iron sulphides or other undesirable reactive elements should be disposed off in sanitary landfills.

• The overburden and mine waste should be utilised for back-filling to help in reclamation, restoration and rehabilitation of the terrain, without affecting the drainage and water regimes.

• Terracing of dumps, must be accompanied by stabilization of the slopes and terraces using proper vegetation.

• For the disposal of tailings, land disposal should be adopted in preference to disposal into surface waters and revegetation of tailing disposal areas should be phased to synchronise with the disposal schedule.

• Adequate provisions should be provided for drainage of water discharged with the tailings to decantation wells or other systems and peripheral plantations should be raised as wind belts to minimise the dry tailings being airborne.

• Tailing dam site should be impervious to prevent leakage and should be located to avoid shallow unconfined aquifers and streams.

• The land use plan should be prepared to encompass pre-operational, operational and post operational phases of mine.

• An action plan for minimizing adverse environmental impacts from the proposed mining activity should be prepared, incorporating steps to contain soil wash, stabilization of banks of streams in the mining area, development of vegetation barriers along the periphery of a mining area and rehabilitation of land for productive uses like agriculture, forestry, pasturage, pisciculture, recreation and setting up wildlife habitats/sanctuaries etc.

• Guidelines for control of emissions of flume gases and air pollution should be drawn up.

• For abatement of noise, suitable abatement measures at source should be taken to provide noise insulating enclosures or padding where practicable.

• Abatement of vibration and subsidence problems can be achieved by avoiding over charging, promoting improved blasting technology and emphasising the planing operations.

• The worked-out areas, particularly steeply dipping metalliferous ore bodies, should be filled with sand or other suitable packing materials.

• For addressing landslide problems the slopes should be maintained at proper gradient during the mining operations and these should be stabilized by planting them adequately with trees or other soil binding vegetation.

• Problems related to human settlement and relocation, measures should be taken to ensure, that the traditional life style of the people is not disturbed. The local population should get the maximum benefit accruing due to development of the mineral deposit.