Coal mining requires large areas of land to be temporarily disturbed. Environmental impact of the coal industry wikipedia. The impact of coal mining on the environment and community. The paper enumerates the fact and fallacies of various health and environmental impacts of coal mining such as its impact on landform, soil, water regime, atmosphere, flora and fauna and human health. Mining is the first step in the dirty life cycle of coal. Pdf environmental impacts of coal mining and coal utilization in. Environmental and social impacts are divided into waste management. Environmental impact assessment report for hwange coal. However, indoor coal combustion is only used for domestic energy purposes. Most mining operations are governed by the general mining law, which has not been amended or updated since 1872. Coal mining imposes many external costs on its surroundings and the people who live in it. Environmental impacts of coal mining and associated wastes. When you burn charcoal in your grill at home, ash is leftover.
But the extraction and mining of these natural resources leads to some adverse effect on our environment as well. The present work is an attempt to bring into focus the impact of coal mining on the. Coal mining played a supportive role as provider of energy to the growing gold mining. These disrupt ecosystems and endanger human health. Pdf environmental and social impacts of mining and their.
However, the biggest impact arises from the combustion of coal domestically. In addition to atmospheric pollution, coal burning produces hundreds of millions of tons of solid waste products annually, including fly ash, bottom ash, and fluegas desulfurization. Open cast mining removes large volumes of soil and rock overburden to get to the workable coal seams, and destroys regional aquifers. The largest surface mines in the united states are in wyoming. The 1946 act which included environmental protection in the regulation of mining activities still failed to protect the environment from the negative impacts of mining. The world has been shifting toward cleaner energies, such as wind and solar, but there has also been an emphasis in recent years to create clean coal. By carefully preplanning projects, implementing pollution control measures, monitoring the effects of mining and rehabilitating mined areas, the coal industry minimises the. Environment and social issues related to coal mining coal mining has significant impact on land and land use, some of the land related. Indian scenario article pdf available in european researcher 8392. Due to the adverse effects of coal mining on agricultures sustainability, one has to evaluate the effects on agriculture if restrictions are not put in place to protect resources such as rivers, groundwater and high potential arable soils. Impact of coal mining on environment free download as pdf file. Mining activities vary, but can include soil compaction and conversely, removal of the topsoil. It benefits everyone including the government and that is why the mining industry is widely supported. Coal is an important source of energy around the worldapproximately 41% of the worlds electricity is generated from outdoor coal combustion nataly echevarria huaman and xiu, jun.
But once the coal is gone, the problems they leave behind, like acid mine drainage, can. Environmental impacts of coal mining and coal utilization in the uk. We know it but coal is such a cheap energy source that we dont want to let go of it. However, producing and using coal affects the environment. The primary impacts arise from mining, particularly underground mining, largely because south african coal. Many communities in developed countries have struggled against the impacts of coal mining. Abstract the study was performed on the barapukuria coal mining project in northwestern bangladesh to evaluate the impacts of coal mining on the surrounding environment specifically on soil and water. In roomandpillar mines, columns of coal are left to support the ground above during the initial mining process, then they are often taken out and. Overview of mining and its impacts environmental law alliance. Mining and burning coal for fuel is harmful to the environment. Ecosystems are affected by the physical perturbations of mining operations, as well as the chemical alterations in soil and water. Pdf environmental impact assessment of coal mining. Steps are taken in modern mining operations to minimise impacts on all aspects of the environment.
Coal mining is by nature disturbing and destructive of the environment. These processes also have an impact on the atmosphere from the emissions of. About coal mining impacts greenpeace international. The impact of coal mining on the environment and community quality of life. The environmental implications of the exploration and. More than half of that waste ends up in ponds, lakes, landfills, and other sites where, over time, it can contaminate waterways and drinking water supplies. Evaluating the impact of coal mining on a report by bfap. It isexcavated by both opencast and underground mining methods andaffects the environment. It isexcavated by both opencast and underground mining methods andaffects the environment, especially water resources, by discharginghuge amounts of mine. Environmental impact of coal mining on water regime and.
However, the mitigation of mine impacted environmental and social issues warrant a corrective action supported by appropriate postclosure management strategies. The discovery of coal in maiganga village has attracted the location of coal mining industry in the area to mine an estimated proven cold reserve of 4. Good planning and environmental management minimises the impact of mining on the environment and helps to preserve biodiversity. The primary impacts arise from mining, particularly underground mining, largely because south african coal mines are relatively shallow. These mining operations remove the soil and rock above coal deposits, or seams.
This case study focuses on the costs of the environmental and social effects of coal mining in south africa, undertaken for export to the netherlands. The paper discusses the current coal consumption in the uk together with environmental impacts of coalmining, coal processing and coal utilisation for power. Environmental impacts of coal mining and coal utilization. Environmental impact assessment report for hwange coal mining activities 1 this environmental impact assessment eia report will comprehensively detail the natural and sociocultural impacts associated with the mining and use of coal in hwange and issues contributing to microclimate change in and around the area. The 2016 us presidential election brought coal back into the spotlight of public consciousness. The same is true for coal fired power plants, which produce more than 100 million tons of coal ash every year. Being the primary source of energy coal has becomeessential to meet the energy demand of a country. Effects of coal mining surface mines sometimes called strip mines were the source of about 63% of the coal mined in the united states in 2018. On the unstable earth, the unresting mankind constantly uses a variety of resources for. Environmental and other effects of mining and transport ccc281. There are 2 ways to mine coal strip mining and underground mining both ways have their own impact to the environment and health. Mining companies are also making efforts to reduce the environmental and social impacts of mining and minimize the footprint of their activities throughout the mining. Environmental impacts of coal transport occur during loading, en route or during unloading.
Effects of mining on the environment and human health. Environmental impacts of mining can occur at local, regional, and global scales through direct and indirect mining practices. From mining to coal cleaning, from transportation to electricity generation to disposal, coal releases numerous toxic pollutants into the air, water and land. These alterations disrupt nutrient dynamics by minimizing the availability of nitrogen and. Environmental impacts of coal transportation sciencedirect. Environmental and social impacts of mining have been welldocumented and an ample literature exists on this topic. The following lists the environmental effects of coal mining onagricultures natural res ources. This environmental impact assessment eia report will comprehensively detail the natural and sociocultural impacts associated with the mining and use of coal in hwange and issues contributing to microclimate change in and around the area. The paper discusses the current coal consumption in the uk together with environmental impacts of coal. Coal is a fossil fuel, extracted through mining, and it is cheap and easy to use. Coal mining is a development activity, which is bound to damage the natural ecosystem by all its activities direct and ancillary, starting from land acquisition to coal beneficiation and use of the products. Some of these can be quantified by estimates, others are difficult to estimate.
Mines are quick to dig up and destroy forests and soils. The following discussion summarizes those environmental and social issues that formed the basis for the mining and critical ecosystems framework. The impacts are likely to affect natural systems including agriculture, forestry, horticulture and aquaculture, buildings and installations and involve death or injury to humans in an occupational capacity, or to the public. Whether coal is to be extracted by opencast or by underground methods of mining the selected method is to acknowledge the need to reduce environmental impact and to provide. When coal mines move in, whole communities are forced off their land by expanding mines, coal fires, subsidence, and overused and contaminated water supplies. Human health and environmental impacts of coal combustion. Coal washing gives rises to large waste dumps, which may ignite spontaneously and cause air pollution. Pdf impact of coal mining on environment researchgate. In addition, the legacy of mining has left thousands of sites in africa contaminated by mining and associated mine dumps such as tailings and slag material. Minerals are the natural resources which play an important role in the economic development of the country. Our legacy of mining for coal, metal ores and other minerals dates back to the bronze age.
The environmental impacts of coal a toxic industry coal is the dirtiest of all fuels. Environmental impacts of coal mining and coal utilization in the uk deniz mamurekli1 coal has remained the main source of energy in the uk from 1700 to the end of 1970s, and it still plays an important role in the power generation. The environmental impacts arising from coal mining activities are fundamentally attributable to the exposure of reduced earth materials. Coal mining is one of the core industries that contribute to the economic development of a country but deteriorate theenvironment. Some of the major effects of mining on the environment are as follows. Impacts can result in erosion, sinkholes, loss of biodiversity, or the contamination of soil, groundwater, and surface water by the chemicals emitted from mining processes. Mining is a very profitable business and it also creates employment opportunities. While underground mining, which allows coal companies to extract deeper deposits of coal, is viewed as less destructive than strip mining, the effects of mining widespread damage to the environment. Pdf coal mining adversely affects the ecosystem as a whole. There are several negative effects of mining for the environment. The environmental impact of the coal industry includes issues such as land use, waste management, water and air pollution, caused by the coal mining, processing and the use of its products. Coal mining also affects the global environment through the release of coal bed methane, which is about 30 times as powerful a s a greenhouse gas such as carbon dioxide. Coal mining detailed study united states environmental.
The social and environmental consequences of coal mining in. Water pollution arises from some abandoned mines and waste dumps. What is the environmental impact of mining and burning coal. The report summarises the relevant issues in the major coal producing nations. The cost of a lack of environmental protection in the act is evident in the plateau tin mining fields chindo, 2012. The mining industry must comply with the clean water and clean air acts, national environmental policy act, state reclamation standards where they exist, and federal and state statutes. The social and environmental consequences of coal mining.
8 505 1440 889 1091 1200 744 66 931 1218 497 511 371 715 1189 265 495 551 184 1141 1297 67 548 774 1188 336 1066 1403 524 1145 10 1285 486 17 1307 745 28