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Statutory Instrument 94 of 2014 prohibits alluvial mining within 200m of river banks. Companies affected by this say there are other measures to protect the environment and ensure that water sources are rehabilitated as mining continues.
DTZ-OZGEO says it has the technology to ensure that water sources are protected.
“For the concentration of the auriferous ores, hydraulic gravitational industrial installations can be used.
There are no reactants or chemical additives used in the production pipeline, the concentration processes are carried out only using clear water.
“Technical water supply is conducted according to the closed reverse scheme where the regenerated water returns to production pipeline or recycling. Technical water supply is not connected in any way with the water sources that are in proximity to the mining areas.
Settling ponds are created and feed into each other in a chronological order to ensure the water and tailings are separated in the process.”
Another measure to rehabilitate the environment is tree planting. Indigenous grasses such as vetiver and kikuyu can also be used for this purpose.
According to Alluvia Mining, a North America company that is one of the largest alluvial mining concerns in the world, some of the measures that can be implemented to protect the environment include: decreasing water usage, enabling continuous land reclamation, reducing use of harmful chemicals, and removing hazardous substances generated by previous mining activity.
Arglye Mining says one of the options it is has adopted to rehabilitate land in Western Australia is to strip off top soil one month before mining and to progressively replace it a month later after mining.
This helps to reduce soil erosion and recycle organic matter.
Online Reporter