Open Cut Mine Planning: Plan Early for Effective Restoration

0

Rate this Article: (Be the First!)   Thanks for your rating!

In the past, open cut mining has left behind a barren area devoid of any vegetation, soil, fauna and eroded slopes consisting of overburdened material and water with heavy sediment. From unplanned mining operations, huge amounts of waste product have been dumped in adjacent areas and excavated sites left behind. These areas are completely devoid of vegetation and soil, and are therefore  associated with various environmental problems, such as loss of forest and agricultural land, extinction of natural flora and fauna, problems of erosion, sliding and siltation of rivers.

However, in more recent times, unscientific and reckless exploitation of mineral deposits without any thought for consequential environmental effects has become a matter of public and government concern, bringing operations to a complete halt.

Restoration of disturbed areas by mining is now a legal requirement. Renewals of degraded resources, land, air, water, and vegetation are named differently as reclamation, restoration or rehabilitation.

Reclamation of mined disturbed areas should be based on sound ecological principles which ensure that the reclaimed area must acquire the properties to at least a level which existed before mining had commenced.

Biological restoration and reclamation is more than mere plantation of trees. It should start with grasses for early green cover and should be followed by shrubs and trees. As it takes more than a century to make the top soil naturally, devastating the land is a pressing socio-economic problem concerning future generations.

The importance of planning early

Better planning of the reclamation system to bring back abandoned land is an important part of the mine plan now.  Early identification of risks and solutions enables risk minimisation and significant improvement of closure cost estimates.

The closure planning framework can be applied to all stages of project development and updated as additional social, environmental, mining and economic information becomes available.

As a component of sustainable development, the closure process involves conceptual planning and stakeholder engagement to agree on the vision for closure followed by scoping and costing of detailed plans.

When developing plans there are a number of things to be considered, for example, how does the project impact current and future land use? How does the project impact current and future water use and rights? How does the project affect the long-term availability of resources?

Planning for post mining land-use enables the mining operation to be coordinated with concurrent land restoration works.

Sustainable mining practices significantly contribute to environment conservation if used timely for people and environment.