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Africa
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Artisanal and small-scale mining community health, safety, and sanitation
Published in Saleem H. Ali, Kathryn Sturman, Nina Collins, Africa’s Mineral Fortune, 2018
Danellie Lynas, Gernelyn Logrosa, Ben Fawcett
Like many developing countries, Ghana faces governance issues that endanger water-related health, safety, and sanitation in ASM. Although Ghana has been known for its mining legislation that is inclusive of the ASM sector, legal provisions have been often criticized as being insufficient in addressing the needs of the community, protecting the environment, and legalizing the mining operations.52 Small mining companies can obtain a license that allows them to divert and impound water from rivers and streams as outlined in Article 17 of the Minerals and Mining Act of 2006. This can compromise both social and environmental sustainability of valuable water resources and, in turn, could lead to communities and the environment deprived of access to water. Our review of Ghanaian policies and regulations highlights the decentralized and cumbersome processes involved in obtaining a small-scale license. This difficulty drives miners toward illegal mining operations, contributing to the existing adverse environmental effects such as water pollution and unsafe work practices.
Mining Methods Vary Widely
Published in Karlheinz Spitz, John Trudinger, Mining and the Environment, 2019
Karlheinz Spitz, John Trudinger
Artisanal mining is defined as small scale mineral extraction, using mainly manual methods, carried out by individuals or small family groups. Other terms in common usage are ‘small scale mining’ and ‘illegal mining’, the latter when artisanal mining is carried out on a tenement granting exclusive mining rights to others, usually a mining company. The main products of artisanal mining are gold, silver (usually as a by-product), tin and gemstones, although coal is also produced by small scale miners e.g. in China, India and Indonesia.
Ecological and radiological hazards due to natural radioactivity and heavy metals in soils of some selected mining sites in Nigeria
Published in Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 2020
Chidiebere G. Dike, Blessing O. Oladele, Omodele E. Olubi, Oluwatobi O. Ife-Adediran, Adetunji Aderibigbe
Several studies (Skubacz et al. 2011; Abdul-Wahab and Marlkar 2012; Kamunda et al. 2016; Galhardi et al. 2017; Solehah and Samat 2017) have been carried out on radionuclide and heavy metal concentrations in mining sites across the world. However, enough attention has not been given to studies on the ecological and radiological effects of mining in Nigeria. Nigeria is blessed with several mineral resources such as gold, coal, tin, colombite, iron–ore and so on. Mining of these minerals was a major contributor to the country’s gross domestic product until the discovery of crude oil. This discovery led to government neglect of the solid mineral sector, giving room for illegal miners to operate. Illegal mining causes a great deal of environmental degradation due to the unmonitored manner the miners operate. A lot of damage is done to the environment by unmethodical pitting and trenching of the grounds, which results in bad land topography, consequently making the land poor for agricultural purposes. In addition to ecological effects, improper deposition of tailings which contain high amount of heavy metals and radionuclides will increase the pollution and radiological health risks of the dwellers of the host communities of these mines. This study aims at analyzing the ecological impact, occupational hazard as well as the pollution and radiological risks associated with mining of gold, coal and tin in Nigeria.