ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN
1.0Introduction
This report discusses the management plan for mitigation/abatement of adverse environmental impacts and enhancement of beneficial impacts due to mining. The EMP has been designed within the framework of various legislative and regulatory requirements on environmental and socio-economic aspects.
Sri G. M. Nagaraju proposes to conduct open cast method mining for Quartz in an area of 4.8 ha in Survey No. 1, Mustikovela Village, C. K. Palli Mandal, Ananthapuramu District, Andhra Pradesh. Industries and Commerce (M-II) Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh vide G. O. Ms. No. 114 dated 23.11.2015 has accorded permission to surrender 25.37 ha and to retain 4.8 ha. The Mining plan has been approved by the Deputy Director of Mines and Geology, vide Letter No. 49/MMS/ATP/2016 dated 03.2.2016. The proposed production of Quartz is 85117.5 tons/annum. Capital cost proposed for the mining will be approximately Rs. 55 Lakhs.
Sri G. M. Nagaraju is conscious of its environmental responsibility towards the society in minimizing the pollution load due to this project and accordingly decided to carry out the Environment Management Plan. The objective of preparing environment management plan is to delineate effective measures to control and to mitigate the environmental pollution. This report presents the environment management plan, detailing the environmentally sound technology and the measures needed to contain and mitigate the anticipated environmental impacts due to the project.
1.1 Uses of Quartz
Quartz containing 99% plus Silica is used in glass industry. This is also used in electrical industry for making semi conductors. There is demand for quartz in indigenous industry and also for export
1.2 Mining Technology
The mine workings were proposed to be carried out by manual open cast method with the help of Jack hammer drilling & blasting.
1.3 Mine Location
of Latitude 14° 14.643'N and Longitude 77° 30.639'E with a elevation of 541 m. The nearest village is Guvvalagondipalli located at a distance of 0.7 km from the ML area in SE direction. Tirumani to Guvvalagondipalli village road passing at a distance of 0.6 km in SE direction. Mushtikovila- Nyamaddala road passing at 3.9 km from the lease area in SE direction. Nearest railway station is Makkajipalli at a distance of 13.7 km from the lease area in SE direction. Nearest town is Dharmavaram at a distance of 28 Km from the ML area in NE direction. Ramagiri West RF is at a distance of 4.3 km in NW direction. Gutturu west RF is at a distance of 5.2 km in SE direction. Andhra Pradesh- Karnataka state boundary is passing at a distance of 1.1 km in NW direction. There are no national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and critically polluted areas are observed in 10km radius of the mine lease area. Mine lease location map is presented in figure 1.1. Details of the mine lease area are presented in table 1.1. The lease area is bounded by following Geo coordinates
Latitude Longitude
1 14°14'35.00"N 77°30'41.70"E
2 14°14'34.30"N 77°30'36.00"E
3 14°14'42.00"N 77°30'33.00"E
4 14°14'44.40"N 77°30'38.70"E
Table 1.1 Details of the Mine Lease area
State & District Mandal Village Sy. No. Area in ha Ownership Andhra Pradesh &
Ananthapur
C. K. Palli Mustikovela 1 4.8 Government Land 1.4 Land use pattern of the lease area
The quarry lease area is part of uneven, elongated roughed hilly rocky terrain. Table 1.2 Land use pattern in lease area
S. No Purpose Extent (ha)
1 Area under quarrying 1.4715
2 Waste dump area 0.3
3 Road 0.224
4 Infrastructure(Office, rest shelter) 0.015
5 Green belt 0.15
6 Vacant 2.6395
2.0Physiography
The Mine lease area is a part of uneven, elongated roughed hilly rocky terrain. The minimum RL is 97 RL on Southeastern side and maximum of 151 RL at Central reef. The area is having 4 pits with varying depth of 1.5 to 5 m. Over all water flow is from east to west in direction, from higher elevation to lower elevation. The area is of rock basin underneath the soil, therefore the vegetation is very less. The thickness of soil cover varies from 0.5 m to 1 m in the lower part of the area, where as at higher elevation it is very less. The slant place at Northeastern side is covered by Red & Black sandy soils.
2.1 Regional Geology
The regional Geology of area incorporates Archaean Dharwars Ramagiri Schist belt with intrusives of acidic veins. The quartz intrusives into schist belt is predominant in the area. Generally the region is having Schist, Quartzite, Feldspar and Quartz terrain with gold intercalations. The general strike of rock structures is almost North 30° West- South 30° east in direction. The area is having gold bearing quartz in schist, hence in surrounding area number of abandoned gold mines are there. The main ground geological succession of the area is as follows.
Recent and sub-recent : Alluvium, Gravels & Soil cover
Upper Archaeons : Dharwars, Ramagiri Shist belt with intrusive, Middle Archaeons : Schist, Metamorphic rocks
Lower Archaeons : Igneous rock formation
2.1.1Local Geology of the area
The local Geology of the area is found to be as follows, with reference to Geological mapping done in the area.
Soil cover 0.5 m to 1.0 m thickness (on lower levels)
Quartz Thickness Varies from 1.5 to 18 m (exposed at pit bottom to the surface) Granitic Schist More than 18 m thickness, not measured.
The intrusive body of quartz available in the area is isolated and having limited extent of mineralisation. The strike direction of the deposit is in N 30° W-S 30° E dipping vertically. The major joints are parallel to the quartz mineralisation in direction. The quartz is having concoidal fracture. The physical quality of the quartz is white and semi glassy in nature. The country rock Schist is also having joint planes parallel to the general strike of the quartz.
3.0Details of Exploration
3.1 Exploration Proposed afresh
During this scheme period from 2016 -17 to 2018 -19 it is proposed to dig 6 trail trenches along the contact zone of Quartz vein in grid wise manner by following the UNFC guidelines.
Since the date of commencement of mining upto march 2014, the lessee has produced about 5175 tons of quartz.
4.0Method of Estimation of Reserves
This mine is operating one. The mineral is geologically proved and measured and economically feasible for mining and hence it is considered as proved reserves and classified as 111 of UNFC Code under G-1 category up to 120 m level from the surface. The lowest of Quartz exposure at surface is at 112 RL at Southern side; hence the level between 120 m RL and 112m RL is considered as probable reserves and classified as 121 of UNFC Code under G-2 category. G1 & GG-2 category minerals are feasible for mining, therefore it is considered as mineable reserves.
Table 1.3 Mineable reserves of Quartz Cross Section/ Category Cross Section length (m) Cross Section height (m) Cross section Area (m2) Cross section influence (m) Volume (m3) x2.5 Bulk density (Geological Reserves) T 90% Recoverable reserves (T) Waste (T) Waste (m3) AA’/G1 36 14 504 57 28728 71820 64638 7182 2872.8 BB’/ G1 50 13 650 50 32500 81250 73125 8125 3250 CC’/ G1 50 24.6 1230 50 61500 153750 138375 15375 6150 DD’/ G1 48 17 816 65 53040 132600 119340 13260 5304 G1 Total 175768 439420 395478 43942 17576.8 AA’/ G2 50 8 400 50 20000 50000 45000 5000 2000 BB’/ G2 50 8 400 50 20000 50000 45000 5000 2000 CC’/ G2 48 8 384 65 24960 62400 56160 6240 2496 DD’/ G2 10 1.5 15 12 180 450 405 45 18 G2 Total 65140 162850 146565 16285 6514 Mineable Reserves 240908 602270 542043 60227 24090.8
G3 category Possible Geological resources: Reserves blocked in buffer zone & Ultimate pit limit Category Volume (m3) x2.5 Bulk density (Geological Reserves) T 90% Recoverable reserves (T) Waste (T) Waste (m3) G3 Total 3360 8400 7560 840 336
4.1 Mineable Reserves & Anticipated Life of the Mine
Total Proved and Probable Reserves area considered as mineable reserves. Mineable Reserves = 602270 T ROM
Proposed average annual production = 54548.44 T
Life of Mine = Mineable Reserves / Proposed average annual production = 602270 / 54548.44
=11 years 5.0Mining Method
The lessee is undertaking open cast manual mining method by conducting blasting for disintegration of hard strata in this mine. Then by digging with the help of crow-bars or pick axe the lumps will be produced. Big lumps will be broken into small pieces or lumps of 3" to 24" size will be segregated & loaded into trucks manually and dispatched for consumer point. Drilling will be done whenever hard strata come across the working. Occasionally Loader or JCB will be used for heaping and loading in case labour not attend the duties. During production, about 10 % waste will be generated. The Quartz in this area is white and need less dressing.
5.1Year wise development and production
The Quartz is exposed to surface and in the pits developed at major part of the area. In this scheme period it is proposed to produce quartz from top of the mound depleting in successive years by slicing the height. Therefore, the development such as cutting of side burden on either side of quartz will be done in last three years.
Year 2015-16:
In 2015-16 it is proposed to produce 6900 T of Quartz by cutting a bench of 1.5 m height by utilizing 1840 m2 area. Anticipating 90 % recovery, 6210 T of salable Quartz will be produced. During production, 690 T of waste will be generated. At the end of the year, the bottom level will of the bench will reach 145 m RL.
Year 2016-17:
In 2016-17 it is proposed to produce 65400 T of Quartz by cutting multiple benches of 1.5 m height each totaling to 3 m by utilizing 15120 m2 area. Anticipating 90 % recovery, 58860 T of salable Quartz will be produced. During production, 6540 T of waste will be generated. At the end of the year, the bottom level will of the bench will reach 139 m RL.
Year 2017-18:
In 2017-18 the production of quartz will be continued by cutting multiple benches of 3 to 1.5 m height by cutting slices from top to bottom. It is proposed to produce 75562.50 T of Quartz by utilizing 6435 m2 & 7280 m2 respectively. Anticipating 90 % recovery, 68006.25 T of salable Quartz will be produced. During production, 7556 T of waste will be generated. At the end of the year, the bottom level will of the bench will reach 134.5 m RL.
Year 2018-19:
In 2018-19 year it is proposed to produce 94575 T of Quartz by cutting multiple benches of 1.5 & 3 m height by utilizing 8000 m2 & 8610 m2 area. Anticipating 90 % recovery, 85117.50 T of salable Quartz will be produced. During production, 9458 T of waste will be generated. At the end of the year, the bottom level will of the bench will reach 130 m RL.
The year wise production quantities are given below.
Table 1.4 Year Wise Production for Quartz Year Volume (m3) x2.5 BD ROM (T) 90 % Recovery Production (T) 10 % Waste (T) Waste (m3) X 1.3 SF (Swell waste) m3 2015-16 2760 6900 6210 690 276 358.8 2016-17 26160 65400 58860 6540 2616 3400.8 2017-18 30225 75562.5 68006.25 7556 3022.5 3929.25 2018-19 37830 94575 85117.5 9458 3783 4917.9 Total 96975 242437.5 218193.75 24244 9697.5 12606.75 Average 24243.75 60609.38 54548.44 6061 2424.4 3151.69 5.2Conceptual Mining
For any mine conceptual mining plan amounts to, fore-seeing in totality and planning for mining and related activities throughout its life span, till such time all the usable ore minerals arc exhausted to the economical limits and lease area is reclaimed to the extent possible. Apart from physico-chemical and mineralogical parameters which form primary basis for compilation of conceptual mine plan, several other factors such as grade of sub grade ores, marketability and the norms laid down by the Government agencies from time to time play important roles. With ever increasing and changing needs of humanity, coupled with technological advancements, sub grade ores of the date become marketable ores in future. Therefore, preparation of ideal conceptual mine plan for any mine is difficult and such plan period prepared, remains acceptable only under given circumstances, it cannot be overlooked that, any such plan undergoes amendments and revisions in the course of
progressive stages of exploration and exploitation. It is always borne in mind to bring back near natural shape to the area and its economic value is elevated. It is further ensured that, there is positive contribution to the environment and socio-economic development of the region.
6.0Drilling & Blasting
For fragmentation of Quartz, the blasting is conducted in this area. The blast hole of 1.5m will be drilled with an inclination of 5° to 10° with the help of 34 mm dia. drill rod, Jack Hammer and Air Compressor as usual practice in most of the quartz mine. Depth of Hole 1.5 m x spacing 1.2 m x burden of 1.0 m x 2.5 MT density = 4.5 MT of Quartz produced per hole.
7.0Extent of Mechanization
The Quartz is hard in structure, therefore it is proposed to undertake blasting by deploying air-compressor and drilling jack-hammer, with drilling rods. Except this, no machineries are required. Hired trucks will do the transportation of Quartz to distant destination. The following machinery is proposed to be deployed.
Table 1.5 List of Machinery
S. No. Description No. of Units
1 Jack Hammers 1
2 Air Compressor 1
3 Trucks 1
Minor Tools: Chisels, Crow bars, pick of axes spades. Except drilling tools no other machinery will be used in mine.
8.0 Employment Potential
The following personnel have been deployed for undertaking mining operations in the subject area to work 300 days.
Table 1.6 Employment potential
S. No. Designation No.
1 Mines Manager/Mate/Blaster 1
2 Mining Engineer 1
3 Workers 48
9.0Use of Mineral Quartz:
Quartz containing 99% plus Silica is used in glass industry. This is also used in electrical industry for making semi conductors. There is demand for quartz in indigenous industry and also for export.
10.0 Water requirement
Water requirement of 12.9 KLD is mainly for drinking purpose, domestic purpose, green belt maintaining and for sprinkling on Mine haulage roads the water shall be drawn from nearby village. The domestic waste water shall be sent to septic tank followed by soak pit. The water requirement is presented in table 1.7.
Table 1.7 Water Requirement
S. No Water Usage Quantity KLD
1 Wet drilling operation (On production basis @ 100 Ltr/1 m3) 7.5 2 Water sprinkling on haul roads @ 1Ltr/Sq.Mt (2240 m
2
)+1/4th for
waste dump 2.5
3 Domestic @ 45 Ltr/Head (50 No’s) 2.3
4 Green Belt @ 0.3 KL for 0.15 ha – 2 times a day 0.6
Total 12.9
11.0 Environment Management Plan
Environmental protection is an issue that no organisation can neglect and hope to survive. The by products of civilization are being dumped upon the environment to a degree that the environment finds difficult to assimilate. The key to the success of the integrated approach to pollution prevention and control is the management and operation of the organisation. Effective committed management delivers a successful operation. As total commitment to the environment, not just for compliance with legal or regulatory compliance will be the essence of environment management. Many companies have recognized the benefits of implementing an effective environmental management system.
Environmental management plan can be effectively implemented to mitigate the pollution levels by observing the following:
a. Pollution will be prevented or reduced at the source
b. Pollution that can not be prevented will be recycled in an environmentally safe manner.
c. Pollution that can not be prevented or recycled will be treated in environmentally safe manner and
d. Disposal and other releases into the environment will be used only as a last resort and will be conducted in an environmentally safe manner.
The proposed project is Quartz mine. The mine owners are aware of the adverse impacts due to the mining activity and propose to initiate a number of measures for the environment protection within the mine area and in the surrounding areas. The company has a stated environmental policy of ensuring regulatory compliance with respect to the statutory laws and regulations and those periodically issued by the Ministry of Environment, GOI, New Delhi, CPCB, New Delhi and A.P Pollution Control Board, Hyderabad.
11.1 Sources of Pollution and Control Measures
The sources of pollution from the proposed activity are mainly from Mining, Drilling, Blasting and transportation of mineral.
11.1.1 Controlling Dust Level
The air in this area is pollution free as there are no pollutant factories. The commencement of mining in this area will create air pollution due to emission of dust during mining, blasting and transportation. That will be suppressed by putting cloth at drilling spot, sprinkling water on mine lay out road etc. The suggested control measures are:
Water spraying to be adopted at faces/sites before and after blasting, faces/sites while loading; and use of sharp drill bits for drilling holes and drills with water flushing systems (wet drilling) to reduce dust generation. Water sprinkling will be provided at appropriate places for preventing dust pollution during handling & stockpiling of mineral and regular water spraying on haulage roads during transportation of mineral and waste by water sprinklers.
11.1.2 Noise Generation
The major source of noise pollution is due to drilling of drill holes, machinery and Blasting. Protective equipment to reduce the noise levels like ear muffs and other protective devices will be provided to the staff working near noise generating sources. The greenbelt development will also help in the reduction of noise levels outside the mine. Noise barriers in the form of trees are provided to attenuate the noise levels. Training would be imparted to mine personnel to generate awareness about the damaging effects of noise. Proper
maintenance of the equipment will also reduce the noise. The noise produced due to machinery operation and vehicles are negligible.
12.0 Occupational Safety and Health
Health and safety aspects of the mine will be taken care off as per the World Bank (WB) guidelines on open pit mining. The guidelines provide the detailed information on the aspects that are required to be taken into account for maintaining proper health and safety issues. The workers continuously exposed to dust will be provided with some protective devices like dust mask to prevent respiratory disorders. The workers continuously exposed to a high noise will be provided with ear muffs/ earplugs. Green belt in and around the mining area will be developed to attenuate noise and dust impact. The blasting carried out in the mine area will be carefully planned and executed under the supervision of a responsible officer, to avoid any accidents. Drinking water supply for the employees will be provided by the project authority. The standard of the drinking water will be per WHO guidelines.
Periodical training programme to inform the employees about their task, associated risk, and safe working practices will be undertaken. Training will also include information on accident prevention, proper control and maintenance of equipment and safe material handling practices. Proper fencing will be provided around the mine pits and waste dump areas to prevent the accidents and cattle felt.
A regular monitoring of the Occupational Health and Safety will reduce the chances of accidents in the mine. Records of job related accidents and illness should be maintained. These informations will be reviewed and evaluated to improve the effectiveness of Environmental Health and Safety programme.
12.1 Occupational Safety and Health to Control Dust Inhalation
Very little dust is expected to be generated during mining and dose not effect the environment. However while drilling, wet drilling will be practiced. It is a small scale mining activity and not much vehicular movement is expected. Water sprinkling arrangement will be provided to reduce the dust emissions and green belt will be developed around the pits to reduce dust generation and noise generation. Trucks are covered with tarpaulin during transportation and overloading of trucks will be avoided to prevent dust generation. PUC certified tractors will be used for transportation of mineral and waste within the lease area. Greenbelt will be developed with tall trees around the waste dump area to prevent dust
emission. All the above precautions would be adopted to prevent dust generation at site and to be dispersed in the outside environment. However, for the safety of workers at site, engaged at the strategic locations/dust generation points like drills, loading & unloading points dust masks would be provided. Dust masks would prevent inhalation of RSPM thereby reducing the risk of lung diseases and other respiratory disorders. Regular health monitoring of workers will be carried out.
12.2 Occupational Safety and Health to Control Exposure to Noise
Blasting will be done using safety fuse using slurry explosive to reduce vibrations, and the amount of explosive used will also be less at a time. There will not be heavy earth moving machinery which may create some noise pollution. Thus the vibration and noise will be well controlled within permissible limits. Trucks are kept in switch-off mode while loading and the speed of the trucks are restricted to limited speed of 15-20kmph to prevent the noise generation and safety purposes.
To protect the workers from exposure to high levels of noise, following measures would be adopted; by provision of protective devices like ear muffs/ear plugs to workers who cannot be isolated from the source of high intensity noise, reducing the exposure time of workers to the higher noise levels by shift management.
12.3 Control of Ground Vibrations & Fly Rocks Boulder
In this area the applicant proposes to deploy blasting with less quantity of explosives. There is going to be hardly any impact on surroundings, as there are less blasting and intended to use low power explosives in this mine. It is a small scale mine and only limited No. of holes are blasted.
Ground vibrations due to blasting and its impact on various mine structures, should be studied in details when the mine becomes operational, especially the charge per delay factor. General measures to reduce ground vibration & fly rocks resulting from blasting are given below:
Peak particle velocity or ground vibrations for safety of nearby structures and residential buildings should be well within 1 mm/sec;
To contain fly rocks, stemming column should not be less than the burden of the hole, and the blasting area should be muffled;
becomes higher;
Blasting should not be carried out when strong winds are blowing towards the inhabited areas;
Each blast should be carefully planned, checked, and executed under the supervision of a responsible officer. Blasting data/observations should be recorded; and
As per the mining plan, in order to ensure slope stabilization, controlled production blasting shall be adopted to avoid tension cracks and back breaks. Such cracks may get filled with water, which reduces the stability of excavated slopes and the angle of slopes.
13.0 Peak Particle Velocity
The vibrations are measured as per the assessment criteria given under Bureau of Indian Standard, “IS: 6922-1973 (Reaffirmed 2003) - Criteria for Safety and Design of Structures Subject to Underground Blasts”.
Per the assessment criteria, the value of ground particle velocity may be computed from the following expression:
V = K1 [Q2/3/R] 1.25 Where
V = Ground particle velocity in mm/sec
K1 = Constant which may be normally taken as 880 for soil, weathered or soft rock and 1400 for hard rock.
Q = Charge per delay (kg), and R = Distance (m) from blast point
Based on the above equation, the ground particle velocities at different distances (3 m, 3.2 m, 5 m, 10 m, 50 m, 70 m, 100 m, 150 m and 200 m, 500 m) are calculated considering K1 as 880 for soft rocks and 1400 for hard rocks. As per the Standard, for safety of structures from threshold damage, the ground particle velocity should not exceed the following:
Soil, Weathered or Soft rock 70 mm/sec Hard Rock 100 mm/sec
Table 1.7 Ground Particle Velocity (V) S. No Constant (K1) Charge Per Delay (Q in Kg)
Peak Particle Velocity (V) mm/second
Distance from the Blasting (R in meters)
3 3.2 5 10 50 70 100 150 200 500
1 880 0.20 58.29 53.77 30.78 12.94 1.73 1.14 0.73 0.44 0.31 0.10 2 1400 0.20 92.74 85.55 48.97 20.59 2.75 1.81 1.16 0.70 0.49 0.15
It is clear that with Q = 0.2 kg charge per day shall result in ground particle velocity is 70 mm/sec in soft rock within a distance of 1.14 m while in the hard rock the ground particle velocity is 100 mm/sec shall be within 1.16 m. There shall not be any structure with in 2m of the quarry area, and it may be, concluded that the ground vibrations generated by blasting during the mining operations will not likely to effect the structures proposed in the vicinity of > 2 m from the point of blast. Concrete structures like office, store etc should not be proposed within the core mine area. These structures otherwise will be affected by the ground vibrations.
14.0 Water Quality Management
Since there is no chemical discharge either from the mine or from the processing mine, there will not be water pollution. The proposed mine workings will not touch the ground water aquifer as the working will be done on top of hill. The maximum depth of the mining will be 18 m from top of hill. Hence there will not be water pollution. There will be no change in quality of water.
14.1 Water Resources
There are no wells or springs in the area. Hence there will not be adverse effect on ground water due to mining. The daily water requirement for the mine operations would be approximately 12.9 KLD. Water sprinkling on mine haulage roads etc shall consume 2.5 KLD. Wet drilling operations consume about 7.5 KLD. For green belt development water consumption is about 0.6 KLD. Domestic purpose is about 2.3 KLD. The water is to be sourced from nearby village through tankers. The generation of wastewater from domestic sources is expected to be approximately 1.7 KLD, which will be sent to septic tank followed by soak pit. 14.2 Water Management
Following measures will be adopted to mitigate the impact on the water resources:
The blasting activities will have to take care on the sinkholes, cracks and fissures in the site activities.
During excavation and drilling activities effort must be taken to avoid face collapse at these cracks and fissures.
To prevent surface water contamination by oil/grease, leak proof containers shall be used for storage and transportation of oil/grease. The floors of oil/grease handling area will be kept effectively impervious.
To prevent degradation and maintain the water quality during rainy season, adequate control measures should be adopted to check the mine run-off into the natural streams. Following control measures are proposed to be adopted:
14.3 Catchment Area Treatment Plan
A catchment area treatment plan has been developed keeping in mind the results of the hydrology/ hydrogeology study as well as the climate data. As there are no perennial water sources running on or through the site, the mine water discharge is limited to the monsoon season only. To keep water from entering the mine during this period, a garland drain will be developed along the mine’s top bench, which will bend to guide the water to the nearest natural surface drain.
In terms of water quality, good mining practices are planned, additionally the natural state of surrounding areas, should ensure that rain water run-off from the mine does not contain any toxic elements. As the site has no overburden or excess clay, potential discharge of sediments is quite limited and any residual clay or limestone particles which are washed down will be captured by a sump located at the lowest bench. The sump will be cleaned regularly and discharge water monitored consistently. If required, based on monitoring, an additional catch pit can be located at the main garland drain. The sump proposed in the bottom bench will be designed based on the peak discharge and will be expanded over a period of time to accommodate the increasing quantum of water discharge. Presently, the capacity of the sump is designed to hold the entire quantum of peak discharge water for more than 10 minutes i.e. 0.03 KL/hr. The garland drain shall be provided surrounding the mine area.
Check dam and salutation pond need to be constructed of appropriate size to arrest silt and sediment flows from soil and mineral dumps. The water so collected should be utilised for watering the mine area, roads, green belt development etc. The drain should be regularly desalted and maintained. The garland drain (size, gradient and length) and sump capacity
should be designed keeping 50% safety margin over and above the peak sudden rainfall and maximum discharge in the area adjoining the mine site. Sump capacity should also provide adequate retention period to provide proper settling of silt material. The surface water around the mine, and infrastructure will be regularly tested and appropriate control measures adopted in case of any pollutant is detected above the prescribed limits.
14.4 Waste Management and Dump area
During these four years about 24244 T (9697.5 m3) of waste will be produced. This waste will be dumped over an area of 0.3 ha in eastern side of the lease area.
14.5 Land Management
Land degradation is one of the major adverse impacts of opencast mining in the form of excavated voids and also in the form of waste dumps. Land reclamation plan must, therefore, be implemented simultaneously with the mining activities.
14.5.1 Land Reclamation
It is a small scale of manual open cast mining. However, due to open quarry some land surface may be disturbed. There is no proposal for reclamation of the pit in this plan period. 14.5.2 Soil Conservation Measures
Top soil is not expected in this mine. To prevent soil erosion and wash-off of dump-fines from freshly excavated benches and dumps following measures shall be adopted:
• Garland drains will be provided around the mine wherever required to arrest any soil from the mine area being carried away by the rain water;
• Toe drains with suitable baffles will be provided all along the toe of the soil dumps to arrest any soil from the dump slopes being carried away by the rain water;
• Loose material slopes will be covered by mineation by making contour trenches at 2 m interval to check soil erosion both due to wind and rain;
Retaining walls (concrete or local stone) will be provided, around the stockpile or wherever required, to support the benches or any loose material as well as to arrest sliding of loose debris.
15.0 House Keeping
Proper house keeping and cleanliness will be maintained in the infrastructure facilities. Wet mopping will be adopted to conserve water. Sign boards will be provided in the work areas and the road and building highlighting the safety and occupational aspects.
16.0 Transport Systems
Tirumani to Guvvalagondipalli village road passing at a distance of 0.6 km in SE direction. Mushtikovila- Nyamaddala road passing at 3.9 km from the lease area in SE direction. Nearest railway station is Makkajipalli at a distance of 13.7 km from the lease area in SE direction. Number of truck trips will be 11 per day. When the material is sold to the parties, are it is expected to lift the minerals by their own vehicles or hired ones from the mine. Sufficient parking facilities will be provided for vehicles loading and unloading of material. Safety signs will be displayed inside and outside the mine to avoid road accidents.
17.0 Environmental Greening Program
Environmental greening program is an important component of the Environment Management Plan and is an imperative requirement for any major industrial activity, as per the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Environment and forests, Govt. of India. Conceptualization, design and implementation of the proposed activity, taking into account the specific requirement of the proposed mining activity and the site conditions are presented.
During this plan period about 125 Eucalyptus saplings will be planted per year over an area of 375 m2 (50 L x 7.5 W) in southeastern side of lease area.
A thorny fencing shall provide to guard the trees from the cows and goats, necessary manpower shall be arranged for vigilance. The environmental greening program as designed comprises the location and development of a shelterbelt and Afforestation in about 0.15 Hectares. The shelterbelt will contain species, which act as windbreakers so that the environment within the mine is contained; the planting of different species in rows is envisaged in general in the greenbelt.
18.0 Socio-economic Environment
The project provides an opportunity for the local people to get employment directly or indirectly and helps in the upliftment of the socioeconomic status of the area. The proposed project would generate an employment of 50. The management will involve in social activities of stakeholders/surrounding community by planning the betterment of neighboring social conditions through awareness and welfare programs to ensure an improved relation, useful in the long run. Many of the beneficiaries of such programs will include own employees as well. The goodwill of the local populace can never be ignored. It is proposed to
supply drinking water and medical facilities to the villagers. The channels employed may vary either through direct contact or by means of local organizations. Another important facet of social environment identified by the project proponents is a green appearance; hence the management will develop a green belt towards aesthetic beautification as the same is necessary to be considered as a responsible, social neighbour.
19.0 Disaster Planning
The complete mining operation will be carried out under direction of qualified mines manager and superior mining personnel, following the directions of Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) and officers of Indian Bureau of Mines. Code of practice of different operations will be formulated to maintain of high standard of safety. Work persons have been given vocational training and further the standing will be continued to new entrants. Moreover mining staff would be sent to refresher courses from time to time to keep them abreast of the regulations. However following natural/ industrial hazards may occur during normal operation
Slope failure at the mine faces; Accident due to explosives;
Accident due to heavy equipment/machinery; Sabotage in case of magazine; and
Accidents due to fly rocks and boulders.
In order to take care of above hazards/disasters, the following control shall be adopted: All safety precautions and provisions of Metalliferous Mine regulation 1961 are strictly followed during all mining operations;
Checking and regular maintenance of garland drains and earthen bunds to avoid any inflow of surface water into mining area;
Entry of unauthorized persons shall be prohibited;
Fire fighting and first aid provisions in the mines office and mining Area;
Provision of all the safety appliances such as safety boots, helmets, goggles etc. would be made available to the employees and regular check to ensure the use;
Training and refresher courses for all the employees working in the hazardous premises; Working of mine as per approved plan, related amendments and other regulatory provisions;
Cleaning of mine faces shall be done regularly;
Handling of explosives, charging and blasting shall be carried out by competent persons only;
Provision of magazine at safe place with fencing and necessary security arrangement; Suppression of dust on the haulage roads by providing water sprinkling.
20.0 Environment Management Cell
A Cell for Environmental Management within the mine at the project level, will take the overall responsibility for co-ordination of the actions required for environmental management and mitigation, and for monitoring the progress of the proposed management plans and actions to be taken for the project. The Cell will be under the overall supervision of the Mine Manager, and responsible for monitoring of the implementation of the various actions which are to be executed by the agencies specified in the EMP. The Cell will be headed by Mine Manager and the other members of the cell that will include a Horticulturist and 1 no. of supervisor.
The EMC will prepare a formal report on environmental management and mitigation for the Environmental Engineer at the Mine, at six-monthly intervals. Reports on any urgent or significant issues may be prepared at shorter intervals. Apart from responsibilities listed above, the EMC will have the responsibility of the following:
Collection of water and air samples within and outside the work zone; Analyzing the water and air samples;
Implementation of the control and protective measures; Land reclamation and vegetation;
Co-ordination of the environment related activities; Collection of the statistics of health of workers; Green belt development;
Awareness and implementing safety programmes; and Monitor the progress of implementation of EMP. 20.1 Post Project Monitoring
The survey of air pollution comprises of the following monitoring aspects; a. Ambient air quality survey
c. Water quality monitoring
Ambient air quality and noise level Monitoring will be carried out at minimum three stations, one station within mine site and two stations nearby residential areas outside the mine. Parameters like suspended particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen carbon monoxide and lead will be monitored. The frequency of monitoring is preferably once in three months on 24 hour basis. The samples will be collected in accordance with the procedures given by CPCB. Existing ambient air quality in the mine lease area is as follows. 20.2 Other Management Aspects
Records will be maintained for the analysis of ambient air quality and noise levels. These records are not only required for the perusal of the Pollution Control Board authorities. The management will maintain the records as per the hazardous waste regulations and EPA regulations and apply for the annual consents for air and water, and renewal of authorization for the storage of hazardous waste as per the Hazardous Waste (Handling & Management) Rules, 1989. The records of hazardous waste manifest will be maintained. The format of the same is enclosed in appendix.
The mine shall obtain the consent for operation (CFO) as required under section 25/26 of the Water act, 1974 and under section 21/22 of Air Act, 1981, before trial production and commissioning from the State Pollution Control Board. The CFO will be renewed each year by the management. The mine will submit environmental statement every year before September 30. The management ensures that it will comply with all the directions and regulations issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi, State and Centre Pollution Control Boards.
The Consent for Establishment, Consent for Operation will be displayed in a conspicuous location for the information of the inspecting authorities of different departments.
21.0 Cost proposed for Environmental Protection Measures
Table 1.9 Environment Management - Cost Estimate Sl no Description Item Capital cost (Rs.) Recurring cost (Rs.) Remarks 1 Air pollution Nose masks93No's 48000 4800
Once a week. Replaceable, and cost can increase with time
Cloth for drillers 4 no's 1.0m
each. 320 128 Issued quarterly
Gunny bags for covering the
surface of jackhammer holes 16800 8400
As and when needed, Lump sum.
Road wetting @ 1 Ltr/2240 Sq. m. and waste dump settling (1/4 of wetting) - 5000 Ltrs tank
35880 10764
Water tanker cost @ one tankers per day for 300 days
Plantation on road side - 3m interval and buffer zone - 3m interval plus maintenance
53000 24733
Re-plant the non-surviving plants, watering and protection from animals
Sub Total 154000 48825
2 Water pollution
Construction of garland drains 70000 14000 Once only for the lease period/life of mine De-silting operations 70000 20000 Yearly and manual
operations Construction of check dams 148800 37200
Once in year, cost incurred is to buy sand bags and filling sand
Construction of retaining wall
for waste dump in slope side 143000 15400
Cost of construction of wall around the dip side of the dump. Sub Total 431800 86600 3 Noise pollution Maintenance of machinery suitably - Rs. 4000 per 3 months
42000 22000 Included in main cost PPE's like Ear muffs - Rs. 15
each 1500 1000 Once in six months
Sub Total 43500 23000
4
Occupational Safety and Health
Providing First aid kits - 2 No's
and fire extinguishers - 2 No's 6000 2000
Once in year, replace by conducting periodical checkup
Providing Personal protective equipments to all employees (hand gloves @ Rs. 30, safety shoe @ Rs. 1500 and helmet @ Rs. 100)
127250 53445
Safety shoe twice in a year, helmets once in three years and hand gloves thrice in a year Training and awareness
programs on risk factors during emergencies by the experts
15000 7500
Once in six months and create sign boards about the risk and safety precautions regularly Periodical medical checkup 30000 5200 Once in a year and supply
and supply of medicines - Rs. 600 per head
of medicines for every three months
Sub Total 178250 68145
5 Environmental monitoring
Ambient air quality studies - Once in six months - 2 locations
- 13600
Will be done through MoEF&CC/NABL
recognised laboratories Water quality studies - Once a
year - 2 Locations - 3000
Noise studies - Once in six
months - 2 Locations - 4400
Vibration studies - Once in
year - 1 locations - 7800
Sub Total 0 28800
