Mining and Sustainable Development II - DTIE

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Mining ronmental management systems and tools such as ISO 14000, EIA and environmental accounting have made environmental programmes a part of mainstream corporate management. There has also been a move towards more life-cycle approaches, with supply-chain management and extended producer responsibility now being taken more seriously by larger companies. The recent acceptance by industry of the need for some voluntary measures and codes on environment to complement (or even to forestall) government regulation has resulted in action on a range of matters that have not so far been regulated. Consideration of these and other approaches needs to be applied to abandoned sites. Industry is also becoming more involved in the global and national policy debates on sustainable development. Through various environmental codes, business charters and other commitments, companies are now more conscious of the need to address social issues, to adopt ethical positions, and to acknowledge that sustainable development is about values as much as about economics. Their commitment to sustainable mineral development now needs to be practically applied. Conclusion Although there have been few attempts at quantification, it is generally understood that the issue of abandoned or ‘orphan’ mine sites is a major unresolved environmental and social problem for the industry. Potential impacts include a range of health and safety problems, and extensive economic impacts due to resource degradation and ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ water pollution. So far there are only a small number of systematic programmes to deal with the issue. However, experience with similar problems in contaminated industrial sites and with rehabilitation of operational mines has provided sufficient elements to allow for a serious start on the orphan sites problem. Notes 1 In China, mining waste is stockpiled on 2 million hectares of desperately needed land. 2 Information from 2 papers presented by Metal Mining Agency of Japan at the 3 rd Asia Pacific Training Workshop on Hazardous Waste Management on Mining, Beijing, China, September 2000. ◆ Training small scale miners: the video project Grant Mitchell, Senior Policy Analyst, Minerals and Energy Policy Centre, P.O. Box 395, Wits, 2050, South Africa Introduction Following on from the recommendations of a White Paper on a new mineral policy, South Africa’s National Steering Committee of Service Providers to the Small Scale Mining Sector (NSC), was tasked with developing the sector. The Capacity Building Sub Committee in particular was to be responsible for production of a training course for small scale miners. Developing a policy proposal is one thing, but it is quite another matter to translate such proposals into tangible results. The acid test for the NSC is when its dozen pilot projects become fully-fledged self-sustaining mining operations. Developing the capacity of the small scale miners manning these operations is of critical importance in this process. The mining hierarchy in South Africa is well documented. A few large and powerful companies have for the past one hundred years held a monopoly on mineral rights, access to finance and technological expertise. Small scale miners, in contrast, generally come from the most economically marginalized sectors of society – the “poorest of the poor”. Educational levels are extremely low. In fact most small scale or artisinal miners are illiterate and have a poor understanding of the new legislative framework despite the efforts of KWAGGA to disseminate the contents of the White Paper to communities affected by mining. There is also a poorly developed understanding of technology deployed and of business planning and marketing. Training for empowerment Clearly training is a vital component in assisting small scale miners in advancing from subsistence levels to profitable operations. The challenge is to develop a tailor-made course that can propel small scale miners from pick and shovel operations towards mechanized ones. This also means that what was previously an unregulated activity may become legitimate. The task facing the Capacity Building Sub Committee is to package the information in such a way that core competencies can be acquired and skills transferred. In the light of the above, it was decided that the most cost-effective form of training would be to develop a video production explaining in simple terms the key requirements of the legislative and regulatory environment, as well as other basic skills required for mining, such as business planning. Without such an understanding small scale mining will be an environmental disaster area in South Africa, and will also act as a conduit for unscrupulous operators who will use small scale operators for their own, often illegal, ends. Language and literacy is a huge issue confronting any training effort. For this reason it was decided to use the medium of video as the principal teaching method, supplemented by facilitators who will negotiate content and direct the discussions. It is also proposed to translate the videos into all the languages spoken in South Africa. Course content and training strategy The course content will cover all the key pieces of legislation relevant to any existing or prospective miner. For example, health and safety legislation, mineral rights and permitting, labour legislation and environmental standards will be presented. There will also be a specific course on how to develop a small business venture and all that this entails: budgeting, planning, taxation, etc. In terms of training strategy, it is proposed that the course, which comes complete with a trainers guide, should be presented initially to the 12 small scale mining projects which are currently being driven by the NSC. Trainers will be identified from each of these projects and given a “train the trainers” course. It is also hoped that the videos can be distributed to a wider group and even used as source material, i.e. in schools and Technikons. Conclusions The video-training project is a first step in using education as a tool to both empower and regulate the sector. This is an important starting point but must be viewed as just that – a starting point. Running a mining operation, even a small one, is a complex business and one that requires on-site training as well as, most importantly, mentorship. What is critical for the success of this sector is to identify suitably qualified and experienced people to provide the project management expertise. ◆ 38 ◆ UNEP Industry and Environment – Special issue 2000
Mining Rehabilitation measures: water management Rehabilitation Objectives Control Technologies Physical Stability Issues ◆ Water dams ◆ Ensure long-term stability ◆ Maintain embankment indefinitely - Stability ◆ Protect erodible slopes ◆ Breach dam - Erosion ◆ Ensure no overtopping ◆ Maintain operating spillway in durable rock - Overtopping ◆ Seal pipes ◆ Plug intakes with concrete, plug decants and remove towers - Intakes/ decant ◆ Monitor - Towers ◆ Ditches ◆ Adequate flood capacity ◆ Design for extreme events - Overtopping ◆ Prevent blockage ◆ Construct from materials suitable for long-term stability - Erosion ◆ Prevent erosion ◆ Riprap protection ◆ Provide for long-term maintenance ◆ Monitor ◆ Storage tanks ◆ Remove ◆ Drain, remove or knock down, fill, & cover - Stability ◆ Monitor ◆ Pipelines ◆ Remove surface and large shallow pipes ◆ Remove all surface and large shallow pipes - Collapse ◆ Plug those pipes at depth - Obstruction ◆ Monitor ◆ Culverts ◆ Ensure maintenance free passage of water under ◆ Remove and breach if not required - Blockage design flood conditions ◆ Upgrade to pass design flood - Collapse ◆ Provide for long-term maintenance ◆ Monitor Chemical Stability Issues ◆ Contaminated reservoirs ◆ Meet water quality objectives by: ◆ Drain, treat and discharge 1. Control reactions ◆ Strip and dispose of contaminated soils in tailings dam or approved location 2. Control migration ◆ Breach dam 3. Collect and treat ◆ Establish vegetation ◆ Treat indefinitely, if necessary ◆ Monitor Land Use Issues ◆ Dams ◆ Restore drainage patterns ◆ Breach and restore to erosion resistant drainage - Interruption of drainage ◆ Determine if alternative use exists ◆ Stabilise to maintain dam ◆ Reservoirs ◆ Return to appropriate alternative use ◆ Maintain dam - Productivity of land ◆ Drain and establish vegetation - Potential water supply ◆ Ditches ◆ Restore drainage patterns ◆ Grade to restore natural drainage ◆ Establish vegetation Rehabilitation measures: tailings impoundment Rehabilitation Objectives Control Technologies Physical Stability Issues ◆ Tailings ◆ Control dust migration ◆ Establish erosion resistant covers of vegetation soil, riprap or water - Dust ◆ Control tailings erosion ◆ Monitor - Water erosion ◆ Dams ◆ Factor of safety >1.5 for static conditions ◆ Appropriate site selection and dam design (P) - Deep seated or overall ◆ Erosion resistant overtopping protection ◆ Where necessary, stabilise embankments by constructing toe berm - Slope failure ◆ Restrict access to flatten overall slope - Surface slump ◆ Riprap or vegetation cover to control erosion - Erosion ◆ Increase freeboard and/or upgrade spillway to prevent overtopping ◆ Ditch/ berm/ fence to prevent erosion by motorised vehicles ◆ Weathering ◆ Remove or establish long-term stability ◆ Remove or plug/ backfill structures ◆ Destruction of permanent ◆ Integrate with local drainage ◆ Diversions and spillways designed for long-term stability - Structures ◆ Plug/ seal decant lines through embankments - Spillways ◆ Define and provide for long-term monitoring and maintenance - Decant towers & pipes ◆ Avoid ongoing operation where possible ◆ Drainage disruption Chemical Stability Issues ◆ Tailings and pore water ◆ Meet water quality objectives by: ◆ Implement permanent control measures - Acid drainage 1. Control reactions ◆ Flood to control reactions - Leaching 2. Control migration ◆ Pre-treatment-removal of deleterious material for controlled disposal elsewhere - Mill reagents 3. Collect and treat or blending with alkali material to mitigate acid drainage (P) ◆ Cover to control acid reactions and/or migration using inert material or bog ◆ Ditch to divert run-off ◆ Collect and treat – active treatment to be avoided where possible ◆ Dams, structures ◆ Meet water quality objectives by: ◆ Do not construct with materials which are potential acid producers 1. Control reactions or are leachable 2. Control migration ◆ Decontaminate and/or remove acid generating or leaching materials 3. Collect and treat Land Use Issues ◆ Productivity of land ◆ Return to appropriate land use ◆ Rehabilitate by one or more of the following means: ◆ Visual impacts - Flood, contour, cover, establish vegetation, wetland (P) option to be implemented at approved pre-mine stage UNEP Industry and Environment – Special issue 2000 ◆ 39
Page 1 and 2: UNEP ISSN 0378-9993 Industry and En
Page 3 and 4: E d i t o r i a l Editorial Mining
Page 5 and 6: Mining Figure 2 Major metal product
Page 7 and 8: Mining Table 2 The world’s 50 lar
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THE UNEP DIVISION OF TECHNOLOGY, IN
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