Evaluating the Environmental Impact of Mining: Procedures, Outcomes, and Sustainable Remediation

Year : 2025 | Volume : 02 | Issue : 02 | Page : 12 24
    By

    V. Basil Hans,

  • Swathi Bhat,

  1. Research Professor, Srinivas University in Mangalore, Karnataka, India
  2. Assistant Professor, St Aloysius deemed to be University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India

Abstract

Mining is necessary for economic growth and getting resources, yet also has a big impact on the environment. This article looks at the different ways that mining affects the environment, such as land degradation, deforestation, water pollution, air pollution, and loss of biodiversity. Mining on the surface and underground can cause soil erosion, damage ecosystems, and pollute groundwater and surface water with heavy metals and harmful compounds. Furthermore, the emission of particulate matter and greenhouse gases aggravates climate change and presents health hazards to adjacent communities. The report also talks about ways to reduce the damage done by mining, such as using sustainable mining methods, keeping an eye on the environment, and restoring mined lands. To minimise the ecological impact of mining and encourage sustainable resource management, it is important to find a balance between economic needs and environmental protection.

Keywords: Land degradation, water pollution, loss of biodiversity, air pollution, and sustainable mining

[This article belongs to International Journal of Minerals ]

How to cite this article:
V. Basil Hans, Swathi Bhat. Evaluating the Environmental Impact of Mining: Procedures, Outcomes, and Sustainable Remediation. International Journal of Minerals. 2025; 02(02):12-24.
How to cite this URL:
V. Basil Hans, Swathi Bhat. Evaluating the Environmental Impact of Mining: Procedures, Outcomes, and Sustainable Remediation. International Journal of Minerals. 2025; 02(02):12-24. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/ijmi/article=2025/view=232607


References

  1. Pretorius, S. & Hattingh, A. “The impacts of mining activities on the environment and the necessity for an environmental assessment strategy for such activity in South Africa,” Town and Regional Planning, 55, pp. 16–23 (2009). doi: 10.38140/trp.v55i0.596.
  2. A. Hudson-Edwards, “Mining and planetary health: a GeoHealth-led special collection,” 2018. GeoHealth, 2018•Wiley Online Library
  3. Mbewe, “Stakeholder Influence in Promoting Environmental Sustainability in the Zambian Mining Industry,” 2017. •scholarworks.waldenu.edu
  4. Que, L. Wang, K. Awuah-Offei, Y. Chen et al., “The Status of the Local Community in Mining Sustainable Development beyond the Triple Bottom Line,” 2018. Sustainability 2018, 10(6), 1749; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061749
  5. Tost, B. Bayer, M. Hitch, F. Stephan Lutter, et al. “Metal Mining’s Environmental Pressures: A Review and Updated Estimates on CO2 Emissions, Water Use, and Land Requirements,” 2018. Sustainability August 2018 10(8) DOI:10.3390/su10082881
  6. Cuvelier D, Gollner S, Jones DOB, Kaiser S, Arbizu PM, Menzel L, Mestre NC, Morato T, Pham C, Pradillon F, Purser A, Raschka U, Sarrazin J, Simon-Lledó E, Stewart IM, Stuckas H, Sweetman AK, and Colaço A (2018) Potential Mitigation and Restoration Actions in Ecosystems Affected by Seabed Mining. Front. Mar. Sci. 5:467. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2018.00467
  7. Kaikkonen, R. Venesjärvi, H. Nygård, and S. Kuikka, “Evaluating the effects of seabed mineral extraction in deep sea and coastal marine ecosystems: Contemporary methodologies and suggestions for environmental risk assessment,” 2018. Marine Pollution Bulletin Volume 135, October 2018, Pages 1183–1197 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.08.055
  8. T. Perkins, G. Bird, S. R. Jacobs, and C. Devoy, “Field-scale study of the influence of differing remediation strategies on trace metal geochemistry in metal mine tailings from the Irish Midlands,” 2015. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 23(6) from March 2016 DOI:10.1007/s11356-015-5725-7
  9. Tianliang, Z. Aghalari, R. Mubanga, J. Eduardo Sosa-Hernandez et al., “Evaluating the environmental health consequences of coal mining operations in Iran: A Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM) methodology for environmental safeguarding,” 2023. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  10. A. Hudson-Edwards, “Mining and Planetary Health: A GeoHealth-Led Special Collection,” 2018. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  11. Morley, G. Buchanan, E. T. A. Mitchard, and A. Keane, “Quasi-experimental analysis of new mining developments as a driver of deforestation in Zambia,” 2022. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  12. S. Himmelsbach, H. R. Zabré, A. Leuenberger, A. M. Knoblauch et al., “Investigating the Effects of Mining on Community Health and Healthcare Delivery: Insights from Key Informants in Gold Mining Communities in Burkina Faso,” 2023. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  13. Ilunga, Y. 2013. A study of the social aspects of mining in Africa, focussing on Kakanda city in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The University of Cape Town. 2013. Open UCT at http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11695
  14. White, “Resource Extraction Leaves Something Behind: Environmental Justice and Mining,” 2013.
  15. “An assessment of the environmental compliance monitoring capacity of the Department of Minerals and Energy, Eastern Cape” by Ann Watkins, 2009. Thesis for an MBA from Rhodes University
  16. Loeffler, “ISER 2012 Working Paper No. 1,” 2012. https://core.ac.uk/r
  17. Tuokuu, F. (2019). Environmental Policy Evaluation in the Ghanaian Gold Mining Sector: Perspectives from Stakeholders.https://aura.antioch.edu/etds/468
  18. Chegenizadeh, B. Ghadimi, and H. Nikraz, “The Prediction of Contaminant Transport through Soil: A Novel Two-Dimensional Model Approach,” 2014.
  19. S. Caruso, T. J. Cox, R. L. Runkel, M. L. Velleux et al. (2008). “Metals fate and transport modelling in streams and watersheds: state of the science and USEPA workshop review.” September 2008 Hydrological Processes 22(19):4011–4021 DOI:10.1002/hyp.7114
  20. Song, W. Song, H. Gu, and F. Li, “Advancements in Remote Sensing Monitoring of the Ecological Environment in Mining Regions,” 2020. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  21. Pakzad, A. Müterthies, P. Goerke-Mallet, C. Melchers et al., “Monitoring wasserhaushaltsrelevanter Prozesse im Bergbau mittels Fernerkundung/Copernicus,” 2018. https://fzn.thga.de/en/forschung/publikationen/
  22. Popović, J. Živanović Miljković, J. Subić, A. Jean-Vasile et al., “Sustainable Land Management in Mining Areas in Serbia and Romania,” 2015. 7(9):11857–11877, August 2015 DOI:10.3390/su70911857
  23. Bandyopadhyay and S. Kumar Maiti, “Steering Restoration of Coal Mining Degraded Ecosystem to Achieve Sustainable Development Goal-13 (Climate Action): United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030),” 2022. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  24. A. Guezennec, and F. Bru Bourgeois, “Numerical Simulation: an Effective Instrument for Water Management in Tailings Impoundments,” 2008. The paper was given at the 10th International Mine Water Association (IMWA) Congress, which took place in Karlsbad, Czech Republic.
  25. R. Moore, N. Whyte, D. Roberts, J. Allwood, and others wrote “The re-direction of small deposit mining: Technological solutions for raw materials supply security in a whole systems context” in 2020. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  26. Kwasi Boachie, “Evaluating Sustainable Development in Ghana’s Mining Sector: A Corporate Perspective,” 2012, Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development
  27. Goodland, “Responsible Mining: The Key to Profitable Resource Development,” 2012. DOI:10.3390/su4092099, August 2012, 4(9):2099–2126
  28. Essah, “Addressing Community Development through Sustainable Mining Practices: The case of Abosso Goldfields (Damang) in Ghana,” 2018.
  29. A. Hudson-Edwards, “Mining and Planetary Health: A GeoHealth-Led Special Collection,” 2018. DOI: 10.1029/2018GH000156
Regular Issue Subscription Review Article
Volume 02
Issue 02
Received 10/10/2025
Accepted 01/11/2025
Published 05/11/2025
Publication Time 26 Days
148

Login


My IP

PlumX Metrics