ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN 1.0 Introduction Sri K. Ravi Shankar filed an application to Department of Mines and Geology for grant of Quarry lease for Colour Granite in Sy. No. 100, Odulapalle Village, Talupula Mandal, Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh. In principle quarry lease grant notice issued by Director of Mines and Geology, Government of Andhra Pradesh vide Notice No. 11420/R3-2/2014 dated 25-08-2015 for 3.0 ha for 20 years period subject to submission of Approved mining plan along with Consent for Establishment and Environmental clearance. Mining plan is approved by Deputy Director of Mines and Geology, Kurnool, Government of Andhra Pradesh vide Letter No. 4114/MP-ATP/2015 dated 9-11-2015 under Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1960. It is submitting for environmental clearance to be obtain from State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority under B2 category as per EIA notification, 2006 and Office Memorandum dated 24.12.2013 as the lease area is <25ha. There are no existing operating mines/quarries located within 500m radius of the proposed lease area which equals or exceeds 25ha and also there are no national park, wildlife sanctuary, critically polluted area and Interstate boundary observed within 10km radius from the quarry lease area. It is proposed to extract Colour granite production of 2000 m 3 annually by semi mechanized opencast mining. Capital cost proposed for quarrying is Rs. 25 Lakhs. Sri K. Ravi Shankar is conscious of his 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. 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. 1
1.1 Granite and its uses Granite is a very common intrusive igneous rock. It is light-colored granulose plutonic rock composed of the minerals feldspar, quartz and biotite & muscovite mica. These minerals make granite white, pink, or light grey. Granite also contains small amounts of dark brown, dark-green, or colour minerals, such as hornblende and biotite mica. Granite is very hard and dense. It can be readily cut into very large blocks and it takes an extremely high polish. The name granite is derived from the Latin word granum, which means grain, an obvious reference to the granular texture of granite. The average density of granite is between 2.65 and 2.75 g/cm 3, with a compressive strength of above 200 Mega Pascal (MPa). Uses Granite has been extensively used as a dimension stone and as flooring tiles in public and commercial buildings and monuments. With increasing amounts of acid rain in parts of the world, granite has begun to supplant marble as a monument material, since it is much more durable. Engineers have traditionally used polished granite surfaces to establish a plane of reference, since they are relatively impervious and inflexible. Granite tables are used extensively as a base for optical instruments due to granite's rigidity, high dimensional stability and excellent vibration characteristics. Rough-cut and polished granite is used in buildings, bridges, paving, monuments and many other exterior projects. Indoors, polished granite slabs and tiles are used in countertops, tile floors, stair treads and many other practical and decorative features. Presently, cut and polished granite slabs of 20 mm thickness are preferred for flooring, while tiles of 10 or 12 mm thickness are used for cladding. 1.2 Quarry Location and its surrounding Details of the quarry lease area around 10km radius are presented in table 1. Quarry lease area location map showing 10km study area is presented in figure 1 and lease area boundary map is presented in fig 2. 2
Table 1 Details of Quarry Lease area around 10km Details Measurement Data Nature Source Location Sy. No. 100, Odulapalle Village, Talupula Mandal, Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh P Lease notice and Approved Mining Plan (AMP) Area of lease 3.0 Ha S Lease notice and AMP Activity Semi mechanized opencast colour granite @ 2000 m 3 /Year S Approved mining plan SOI topo sheet No. 57 J/3 S AMP Latitude Longitude & Point Latitude (N) Longitude (E) A 14 17 33.3 78 08 31.1 B 14 17 33.2 78 08 29.1 C 14 17 22.2 78 08 28.0 D 14 17 22.7 78 08 32.0 S Verification and approved mining plan EMP Cost Rs. 4.81 Lakhs P Calculation submitted Nearest village andgondipalle Village 1.1 km SW and 200 S Based on Google map Habitation persons approximately and SOI, OSM topo map Road access Kadiri to Pulivendula road 7.0 Km East S SOI, OSM topo map Approach road Bandamidapalli to Subbanaguntapalle 1.3 Km S and Google map North (approach through Cart track) Nearest town Kalasamudram 10 Km SSW and Kadiri S 20km - South Rail network Kalasamudram RS 9.2 Km - SW S Average Heaviest 168 mm (September) S From IMD Normal Rainfall observed in a month Climatological table Nearest water 1km North S From SOI, OSM topo source of 3rd map order or above Nearest Madduleru rivulet 7.0km - West stream/river Garland drain 150m L x 2m W x 1m D S Based on the rain fall multiplied over a period of 3 months. Depth of water 35m BGL S From CGWB Reports table Altitude of the 565 m AMSL S SOI, OSM topo map area and Google map Height of hill 45 m AGL S AMP and google map Anticipated Depth 25m from top of the hill S Approved mining plan of quarry at the end of lease period Proved depth of 20m from top of the hill quarry 3
Details of 10000 m 3 /5years of colour granite and 40000 S From mining plan. production and m 3 /5years of waste waste Waste dump area 0.54Ha for 20 years @ 30m height, Remaining S Calculation submitted provided period backfilling in pits Recovery claimed 20:80 S From Mining plan Chemical nature Non-Toxic, the material being of high S.G, of the material settles quickly in water and does not flow mined S From literature Chemical Non-toxic S reactivity of material Minerals in the Complex silicates of Na, K. Felsic in nature S material Waste material Non-Toxic S nature Nearest mines if None within 500m radius which equals or S From the DMG map any exceeds 25 ha and Google map Forest boundary Kokkarajukonda RF 1.0km East, Nigadi RF 4.0km South and Dorigallu RF 4.5km NNE Inter State Boundary Wild life sanctuary None within 15 km Places of None with in 15 km importance S From SOI, OSM topo map None within 40 Km radius of the Q. L. Area S SOI topo map and google map S S P:Primary, S:Secondary, RS- Railway Station, BGL - Below Ground Level, AGL - Above Ground Level & AMSL: Above mean seal level and RF: Reserve Forest 1.3 Land use pattern of the lease area The quarry lease area is a small hill with boulders and sheet rock to a height of 45m. Land use details are presented in table 2. Table 2 Land use details of Lease Area S. No Purpose Extent (Ha) 1 Area proposed for quarrying 0.75 2 Waste dump area 0.54 3 Road 0.09 4 Infrastructure(Office, rest shelter) 0.04 5 Plantation 0.15 6 Non Broken 1.43 Total 3.0 4
K. Ravi Shankar Colour Granite Environment Management Plan Fig 1 Quarry Lease location around 10km radius map 5
K. Ravi Shankar Colour Granite Environment Management Plan Fig 2 Quarry Lease Area boundary map 6
2.0 Topography of the Area The lease area is a small hill with big boulders of dark grey with pink spots granite and exposed of sheet rock and also there is old worked out pit, dumps and cutting boulders are existing in the applied area. 2.1 Regional Geology The region of the subject area belongs to Peninsular Gneiss of Archean Group of Rocks. This area mainly covered the formation of Archean Peninsular Gneissic complex. The Gneissic Granites are medium to course grained size in texture. The granite gneisses are generally extended in North East trend structurally. These Granites are jointed and Mural joints are observed in the area. The regional area forms a part of granite green stone terrain of eastern part of Dharwar carton. The green stone rocks are made up of metabasalt, acid volcanic and banded iron formation exposed as linear belts hosting hold mineralization. These green stone rocks are introduced by granitic rocks of Grey, Pink, Brown and Black varieties. In this area the granite terrain comprises banded/streaky gneiss ranging in composition from tonalite to granodiorite, migmatitic gnesis and granodiorite granite with compositional variation between granodiorite granite and alkali feldspar granite. Among these varieties of gneissic. The stratigraphy of the region is given below. The stratigraphy of the region is given below. Geological Era Geological Unit Rock type Proterozoic Close pet granite and its Granite variants Archean 2.2 Local Geology Equivalents peninsular gneiss with older granites and migmatite Schistose rocks of Greenstone Belts and equivalents Migmatite gneisses and granites The applied area falls biotite gneiss of PGC. Geologically the applied area falls in migmatitic gneiss of Peninsular Gneissic complex of Dharwar Craton of Archean age. It is consisting of migmatitic gneiss. Due to intrusion of younger Dark brown/granite in to pre extend amphibolites gneiss the migmatisation may occurred, due to its high melting point the amphibolites are remains as Xenoliths/enclaves in the migmatite and it consists of alternating Paleo seme and Leuco seme bands. (i.e., alternate bands of mafic & felsic bands). Due to younger intrusion & other flow activities the foliation and platy granitic nature may occur. The subject area belongs to hill rising to a height of about 45m with boulders from 7
ground level. The granite sheet is exposed around 30m to 50m width with a strike length of 340m with slopes of western and eastern side & soil is covering the foot hill portion of the applied area. However the granite sheet rock is well exposed without any over burden at higher altitudes. It represents late magmatic injection of close pet granite. The rock is essentially composed of Quartz, orthoclase feldspar (Pink feldspar), biotite & Horn blende. The rock is compact and moderately hard with less joints. 2.3 Brief description of litho units Multi-colour granite consists of Quartz, Orthoclase Feldspar and Plagioclase feldspar are major minerals and Biotite, Horn blende as minor mineral. Biotite Xenolith patches also present in some places. The rock belongs to Archean age; the periphery of the area is covered by soil. The main litho units expose in the area granite consists of quartz, orthoclase feldspar, and low quantities of biotite with iron oxides. The rock belongs to Archean age. The rock shows porphyritic texture. The rock is dark grey to brown with porphyry of fresh red colour. It takes good polish that is aesthetically appealing. 3.0 Exploration a) Present Status The lease area has few old pits, dumps and cutting boulders are existing. The colour granite sheet rock is exposed and granite boulders is existing. The quality of the sample is very good and it will be suitable for market. b) Future Programme The existing old pit and old sheet rock cutting varying from 5m to 10m height exhibiting clear vertical joints & horizontal slightly dipping joints resulting in variation of block sizes. The area is in a position to give up 20% yield of huge blocks. The working will have to extend the workings from east to west up to the peak hill. The applicant will develop 2 or 3 benches depending upon the position of strata i.e. joints and recovery. 3.1 Estimation and Calculation of Geological Reserves The reserve estimation of granite deposit is information from the old pits and boulders. The estimation of the reserves is calculated based on cross sections area method categorically as proved and probable. It is reasonable to assume the proved reserves from the old pits and granite out crops i.e. top of the hill to bottom of the hill and total depth average 20m to 50m has been considered for proved category and below 20m depth has been taken under 8
probable category. In the granite ore zone, the recovery of granite mineral will be 20% and remaining 80% considered as waste consists of mud packets, waste rock boulders & defects in the colour granite. Section wise calculation of Colour Granite reserves are given in the table 3. Table 3 Geological Reserves Category Section Section Influence (m) Sectional area (m 2 ) Volume (m 3 ) Granite @ 20% (m 3 ) Waste @ 80% (m 3 ) A B A x B (A x B)0.2 (A x B)0.8 Proved A-A' 62 1090 67580 13516 54064 B-B' 50 729 36450 7290 29160 C-C' 50 1007 50350 10070 40280 D-D' 50 1880 94000 18800 75200 E-E' 50 2751 137550 27510 110040 F-F' 69 2779 191751 38350 153401 Total 577681 115536 462145 Probable A-A' 62 829 51398 10280 41118 B-B' 50 970 48500 9700 38800 C-C' 50 1045 52250 10450 41800 D-D' 50 1085 54250 10850 43400 E-E' 50 1111 55550 11110 44440 F-F' 69 1065 73485 14697 58788 Total 335433 67087 268346 Mineable A-A' 54 1876 101304 20261 81043 B-B' 50 1699 84950 16990 67960 C-C' 50 2052 102600 20520 82080 D-D' 50 2965 148250 29650 118600 E-E' 50 3862 193100 38620 154480 F-F' 61 3844 234484 46897 187587 Total 864688 172938 691750 Total colour granite reserves = 182623 m 3 Mineable colour granite reserves = 172938 m 3 Mineable Reserves and Life of the Quarry The total quantity of mineable reserves is considered as (economic) marketable reserves. In this way a total mineable reserves of 172938 m 3 are available in this Q.L. applied area. The production is proposed to obtain 2000 m 3 per year. At this rate of production, the expected life of the mine is calculated as follows. Life of the Quarry: Mineable Reserves / Annual production = 172938/2000 = 86 years. 9
4.0 Mining The granite in the quarry will be mined out by opencast semi mechanized method and the granite deposit in this area is totally exposed on hill surface and also old pits are existing, hence no development is required and mining operation carried out in this area directly. The vertical joints and sheet joints present in the rock can be utilized for pre-splitting of the rock, but if the joints are absent or widely spaced drilling of holes at regular intervals and blasting has to be resorted on two other sides to free the top & bottom faces, later insert feather and wedges in these holes and hammering with sledge hammer. The fracture will develop, connecting the holes and as further hammering the fracture deepens. Till it touches bottom most sheet joints/artificial line, and then entire block of the granite will be released from mother rock. Once the block of different sizes are removed from sheet either by poclain or by crane, they bring to dressing yard for further dressing. a) Extent of Mechanization It is proposed to undertake semi-mechanized mining operations, the following machinery will be deployed. i) Poclain 2 ii) Compressor 2 iii) Winches 2 iv) Jack hammers - 2 v) Tippers - 4 vi) Crane - 1 Minor Tools: Chisels, Crowbars, Pick axes spades and hammers of different sizes. b) Organization Chart of the Quarry The applicant will appoint following employees at this quarry a. Mines Foreman and Manager : 1 No. b. Poclain operator : 2 Nos. c. Helper : 2 Nos. d. Compressor operator : 2 Nos. e. Jack hammer operator : 2 Nos. f. Tipper operators : 4 Nos. g. Helpers : 4 Nos. 10
4.1 Production and Development During this five years operations a total rock mass of 50000 3 m will be excavated and 10000 m 3 of granite blocks will be recoverable from this rock mass and remaining material of about 40000 m 3 will go as mineral waste. The waste material will be dumped in east side for first 4 years and west side during 5the year. Year wise production and waste generation is presented in table 4. Table 4 Year wise Granite production Year Section area (A) Influence (H) Volume (A x H) Production m 3 m 2 m m 3 Granite@20% Waste@80% 1 st Year 200 50 10000 2000 8000 2 nd Year 200 50 10000 2000 8000 3 rd Year 200 50 10000 2000 8000 4 th Year 200 50 10000 2000 8000 5 th Year 200 50 10000 2000 8000 50000 10000 40000 4.2 Drilling and Blasting Drill hole pattern for primary and secondary smooth blasting holes of 3m depth will be drilled in a single row with spacing of less than 0.3m & burden of 1.6 or more shall be maintained uniformly. This arrangement will yield rock size of 3m x 2m cross section. A bench height of 6m will be maintained with two steps. 4.2.1 Drilling Parameters i. Drill holes diameter is 32mm and up to 3m long. ii. Depth and inclination of drill hole is generally drilled vertically in a alignment, however in primary cutting in the absence of sheet joints to develop bottom level horizontal holes also be drilled. iii. Spacing and burden: spacing shall be about 0.1 to 0.3m from hole to hole and burden goes up to 1.6m for the splitting of the rock. iv. Stemming and charging of the blast hole. The Blast hole will be charged with 100 grams of explosives and filled with clan pills subsequently; the shot hole will be stemmed. v. Explosive type: Gun powder is used for splitting the block. About 500kg/month special gelatin may be required. 11
5.0 Solid Waste There is no much overburden on the deposit. Boulders are exposed on top of the colour granite. The eastern and western side of the area is selected for dump yard for next five years and the waste will be stocked in the dump yard, step dumping will be resorted. When the dumps reach their optimum height suitable greenery will be grown on these dumps to stabilize them. This material can be utilized to fill the pits after quarry operations are over. Year wise waste generation is presented in table 5. Table 5 Solid waste generated S. No. Year Total waste Generated m 3 1 1 st year 8000 2 2 nd year 8000 3 3 rd year 8000 4 4 th year 8000 5 5 th year 8000 Total waste for five years 40000 6.0 Site Services It is also proposed to provide the site services like Mines office and other statutory constructions like rest shelter, first aid, latrines, urinals, work shed and drinking water as required near the quarry lease. Drinking water is purchased from local villages and stored in MS water tank and covered with a thatched roof to keep it cool. About 400 m 2 of area is proposed for site services with 3m height in NE side of the area. 7.0 Water requirement Water requirement of 4.5 KLD for the project is mainly for Domestic source, maintaining the green belt and also for sprinkling on the haulage roads to mitigate dust emissions. The water shall be drawn from nearby villages. The water requirement of the project is presented in table 6. Table 6 Water Requirement S. No Water Usage Quantity (KLD) 1 Wet drilling operation (On production basis @ 100 Ltr/1 m 3 ) 0.7 2 Water sprinkling on haul roads @ 1Ltr/Sq. Mt (900m 2 )+1/4 th for 2.8 waste dump (5400 m 2 ) 3 Domestic @ 40 Ltr/Head (17 No s) 0.7 4 Green Belt @ 0.2KL for 0.2 ha 2 times a day 0.4 Total 4.5 12
8.0 Environment Management Plan Environmental protection is an issue that no organization can neglect and hope to survive. The 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 organization. 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 cannot be prevented will be recycled in an environmentally safe manner. c. Pollution that cannot 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 granite 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 State Pollution Control Board. 8.1 Sources of Pollution and Control Measures The sources of pollution are air and noise from the proposed activity mainly from Mining, drilling, Blasting and transportation of mineral. Waste material generation, dumping and restoration. 8.2 Air Pollution and its Control The granite mining does not involve much dust formation. The dust would be generated during drilling, blasting, quarrying and also during handling and transportation of the 13
material. The dust anticipated at drilling place will be suppressed by putting cloth around the hole. Use of sharp drill pits for drilling holes and drills with water flushing systems (wet drilling) to reduce dust generation. Water spraying to be adopted at Faces/sites before and after blasting, Faces/sites while loading. Over charging of blast holes should be avoided. Personal protective equipments like nose mask and goggles etc will be provided to the workers. Regular water spraying on haul roads during transportation of mineral and waste by water sprinklers. Over loading of transport equipments should be avoided to prevent spillage. Also, measures such as covering tarpaulin over the loaded material will prevent spreading of dust particles from the trucks. Speed controls on vehicle movements to be limited speed. Wind reduction control by plantation. Over burden dump has reached the optimum size, it will covered with top soil and water will spread on top soil and grass will be developed on the dump. Limiting the height and slope of the stockpiles can also reduce wind speed. Regular checking and maintenance of vehicles should be conducted and pollution under control certificate be obtained. Periodical monitoring of ambient air quality will helps to take steps to control the pollutants. 8.3 Noise pollution and its control The major source of noise pollution is due to drilling of drill holes, machinery, Blasting and vehicular movement. Blasting operations will be carried out only during daytime so as to avoid high noise intensity in night time. Noise barriers in the form of trees are provided to attenuate the noise levels and green belt of 6m width shall be developed to mitigate propagation of noise. 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 like drill machine operators and dumper drivers. Training would be imparted to mine personnel to generate awareness about the damaging effects of noise. The transport activity shall be restricted to day time to reduce impact on habitation. The engines of the tractors shall be switched off during loading operation, and shall be periodically maintained to ensure low noise levels. Proper maintenance of the equipment will also reduce the noise. 9.0 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. 14
The workers continuously exposed to dust will be provided with 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. Provisions of rest shelter for mine workers with facility of 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. Conduct of mock drill, Safe storage & handling of explosives. Training will also include information on accident prevention, proper control and maintenance of equipment and safe material handling practices. Awareness on safety and ensure using of personal protective equipments (PPE) by workers. Regular maintenance and testing of equipments will be done. 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. This information will be reviewed and evaluated to improve the effectiveness of Environmental Health and Safety programme. Occupational Safety and Health to Control Dust Inhalation Very little dust is expected to be generated during mining and does not affect the environment. However while drilling, wet drilling will be practiced. It is a small scale mining activity and not much vehicular movement is expected. 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. 9.1 Occupational Safety and Health to Control Exposure to Noise Blasting will be done using non delay detonators to reduce vibrations, and the amount of explosive used will also be less at a time. There will not be heavy earth moving machinery 15
which may create some noise pollution. Thus the vibration and noise will be well controlled within permissible limits. To protect the workers from exposure to high levels of noise, following measures would be adopted: Provision of protective devices like ear muffs/ear plugs to workers who cannot be isolated from the source of high intensity noise, e.g. blasting; Reducing the exposure time of workers to the higher noise levels by shift management. Smooth blasting techniques, special explosives and silent non-explosive demolishing agent will be used. Muffed blasting and use of Milli-second detonators will help in reducing the noise pollution. 9.2 Control of Ground Vibration & Fly Rock generation In this area the applicant proposes to deploy blasting with less quantity of non-explosives. There will not be 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: Blasting should be carried out in the daytime, as during the night time the sound intensity becomes higher; Blasting should not be carried out when strong winds are blowing towards the inhabited areas; Maximum permissible charge per delay should be decided on the basis of the distance of structure to be protected from the blasting. The number of rows in a blast should not be more than four so that fly rock generation and ground vibration is reduced. Peak particle velocity or ground vibration for safety of nearby structures and residential buildings is 36.7 mm/sec (Standard 100 mm/sec) at 10m distance from the activity; To contain fly rocks, stemming column should not be less than the burden of the hole, 16
and the blasting area should be muffled; 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. 10.0 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: Where V = K1 [Q 2/3 /R] 1.25 V = 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, 5 m, 10 m, 20 m, 50 m, 70 m, 100 m, 150 m and 200 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 The results are presented in the Table 7 below for the maximum charge Table 7 Peak Particle Velocity (V) S. No Constant Charge Per Peak Particle Velocity (V) mm/second (K1) Delay Distance from the Blasting (R in meters) 3 5 10 20 50 70 100 150 200 1 880 Q= 0.4Kg 103.9 54.8 23.1 9.7 3.1 2.0 1.3 0.5 0.3 2 1400 Q= 0.4Kg 165.2 87.3 36.7 15.4 4.9 3.2 2.1 0.9 0.7 17
It is estimated that with Q = 0.4 kg charge per delay shall result in particle velocity of 54.8 mm/sec in soft rock within a distance of 5 m, while in the hard rock the particle velocity is 87.3 mm/sec shall be within 5 m. There shall not be any structure with in 5 m 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 > 5 m from the point of blast. However the structures are proposed to locate 10m distance from the quarry activity. 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. 11.0 Water Quality Management There is no chemical discharge either from the quarry or from the processing quarry, there will not be water pollution. The proposed quarry workings will not touch the ground water aquifer. Quarrying Operations will be carried out on the slope of the Rocky terrain. The ground water level in this area is 35m BGL and the quarrying will be done on above the surface level. Maximum depth of the quarry will be 25m BGL from top of the hill which is about 45m height from ground level, flooding by ground water is not anticipated. Hence neither ground water table nor the general surface drainage pattern is not affected, hence there will not be water pollution. There will be no change in quality of water. However during rainy months, there is a possibility of wet conditions developing in the working pit this will be minimized, if not altogether eliminated, by adopting simple techniques like digging trenches all round to drain off rainwater and preventing surface run off from entering and flooding working pit. The water from the pits will be pumped by deploying suitable pumps, if and when required, the mine drainage can be effectively managed and the pit kept dry to keep up the production schedule. 11.1 Wastewater generation and treatment In this area water table is at greater depth of 35m BGL and the workings are carried out on top of the hill which is at 45m height. There are no wells or springs in the area. Hence there will not be adverse effect on ground water due to quarrying. The source of wastewater generation from domestic sources is expected to be approximately 0.5 KLD, which will be sent to septic tank followed by soak pit. 18
11.2 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. 11.3 Garland drain and siltation pond A catchment area treatment plan has been developed keeping in mind the results of the hydrology/ hydrogeology of the area and 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. Garland drain of 150m L x 2m W x 1m D will be constructed. 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, potential discharge of sediments is quite limited and any residual 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. The garland drain shall be provided surrounding the mine area. Garland drain and siltation pond need to be constructed of appropriate size to arrest silt and 19
sediment flows from soil and mineral dumps. The water so collected will be utilized for watering the mine area, roads, green belt development etc. The drain should be regularly desilted and maintained. The garland drain (size, gradient and length) and sump capacity will 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. 12.0 Waste Management plan During five years operations a total rock mass of 50000 m 3 will be excavated and 10000 m 3 of granite blocks will be recoverable from this rock mass and remaining material of about 40000 m 3 will go as mineral waste. There is no much overburden on the deposit. Boulders are exposed on top of the colour granite. 13.0 Dump Area Dumping of waste will be stocked in East and west side of the Q.L area with 5400 m 2 to a height of 30m. During the five years about 40000 m 3 of waste material will be generated and about 160,000 m 3 of waste will be generated during lease period. Step dumping will be resorted. This material can be utilized to fill the pits after quarry operations are over. When the dumps reach their optimum height suitable greenery will be grown on these dumps to stabilize them. 13.1 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. 13.1.1 Mine closure and Land Reclamation It is a small scale of semi mechanized open cast mining with semi-permanent structures, the structures will be removed after completion of mine workings. Erection of fencing around the working pits and cleaning of waste dump area by backfilling the waste in worked out pits and development of plantation to get its original profile. However, due to open quarry some land surface may be disturbed. Reclamation and rehabilitation of the lands affected by quarrying 20
will be done by back filling, soil amelioration and afforestation. Back filling of the pits with waste material will starts from east side of the proposed workings and proceeds towards west side after completion of ten years period. Every year an area of 1500 m 2 with an average depth of 6m is proposed for backfilling, hence the quantity of waste can backfill is 9000 m 3 in every year. Drainage will be developed along the slopes of the hillock. Reclamation of the effected land includes back filling, Drainage development, spreading and fertilization of soil, leveling and vegetation etc., Care will be taken to implement the said factors. The cost estimated for the closure of mine is approximately Rs. 2, 00,000 under rule 23(F) of MCDR. 13.1.2 Soil Conservation Measures The proposed area is a small hill in the form of boulders and sheet rock. In quality, the soil existing in the area is hard and unfertile. Therefore, the growth of trees and plants is uncertain and not satisfactory. Hence, in this area few small plants and thorny trees are grown here. Except this, no big trees are seen in this area. Top soil if any generated will be properly stacked at earmarked dump site with adequate measures and the same will be used for reclamation and rehabilitation of the mined out areas. To prevent soil erosion and washoff 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 3-5 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. 14.0 House Keeping Proper housekeeping 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. 21
15.0 Transport Systems Major road access is Kadiri to Pulivendula road at 7.0 km in East direction from the QL area. Bandamidapalli to Sabbanaguntapalle road at 1.3 Km in North direction, Cart track is available and it needs to develop. The nearest town is Kalasamudram at a distance of 10km from the QL area in SSW direction and Kadiri is at 20km in South direction. The finished product and waste material is transported by road using trucks of 17 Tons capacity. The number of trips will be approximately 1 in a day for transportation of mineral and the trucks are covered with tarpaulin. The lessee will deploy 4 tippers to transport the finished product, waste blocks, unfinished and finished blocks from quarry site to yard and trucks to transport sized dimensional blocks from yard to destination. Cranes will do the loading of blocks. The materials while transporting do not pose any hazard. 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. 16.0 Greenbelt Development Environmental greening program is an important component of the Environment Management Plan and is an imperative requirement for sink of air pollutants including noise 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. Green cover in mining area not only help in reducing pollution level, but also improves the ecological conditions and prevent soil erosion to great extent. It further improves the aesthetics and beneficially influences the microclimate of the surrounding. In every year about 50 m length of buffer zone will be planted from second year onwards along the boundary on eastern and western side of the area. About 33 Saplings consisting of Neem, Dirisena, Peddamanu, Nalla maddi and Teak will be planted per year over an area of 50m x 7.5m at 3m grid interval and along the side of connecting roads about 45 saplings with 2m interval will be developed to reduce the dust emission. The environmental greening program as designed comprises the location and development of a shelterbelt and plantation 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. A dedicated cell in the mine should be established for post plantation care, which include, regular watering, manuring, protective measures etc. Diseased and dead plants should be uprooted and replaced by fresh saplings. 22
Regular monitoring on survival rate and remedial action should be done in an organized and planned manner. The list of plant species identified for greenbelt development is presented in table 8. Table 8 Suggested plants for greenbelt development Botanical name Local name Importance Ailanthus excelsa Peddamaanu Tree borne oil Albizia lebbeck Dirisana Shade, timber and scented flowers Azadirachta indica Vepa or Neem Neem oil and neem products Terminalia arjuna Nallamaddi Timber and shade tree Tectona grandis Teak Timber wood The above list of plants/trees observed within the surrounding area. Hence these are proposed for plantation. 17.0 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 17. The local inhabitants of the area live in the villages surrounding the mine area and their main occupation is Agriculture. In a small way they rear cattle and sheep for sustenance. The mining activity in this belt will benefit the locals both directly and indirectly. The direct beneficiaries will be those who get employed in the mines as skilled and un-skilled workers. The indirect beneficiaries will be those who open small business to sell goods required by the residents whose Per Capita income will be enhanced by the mining activity, and thereby their purchasing power. In the long run a lot of social good is expected in the comparatively backward area when the inhabitants will be able to send their children to school. The change, though slow, is bound to be perceptible. 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 and also participate in the local village development activities. The management will also support for vocational training and assistance in utilizing government programs. 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. 23
18.0 Disaster Planning The mining operation shall be carried out under the management control and direction of a qualified mines manager holding a Second class manager s certificate of competency to manage a metalliferous mine granted by Director General of mines safety (DGMS). DGMS have been issuing a number of standing orders and circulars to be followed by the mine management in case of disaster, if any. Moreover mining staff would be sent to refresher courses from time to time to keep them abreast of the regulations. However following natural/ quarrying 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, dust masks, ear mufflers, 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. 24
19.0 Environment Management Cell A Cell for Environmental Management within mine lease area 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. The EMC will prepare a formal report on environmental management and mitigation for the Environmental issues 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; 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. 25
19.1 Post Project Monitoring The survey of post project monitoring comprises of the following monitoring aspects; a. Ambient air quality survey b. Noise Level Monitoring c. Water quality monitoring Ambient air quality and noise level Monitoring will be carried out at minimum four stations, two stations within mine site and two stations nearby residential areas outside the mine. Parameters like particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen will be monitored in case of ambient air quality. Water quality monitoring will be carried out in the mine working area, sump and nearby village. 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. 19.2 Other Management Aspects Records will be maintained for the analysis of ambient air quality, noise levels and water quality. These records are not only required for the perusal of the Pollution Control Board authorities to take preventive action against the environmental pollution. 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 mine will obtain the consent for establishment (CFE) and consent for operation (CFO) from State Pollution Control Board as required under section 25/26 of the Water act, 1974 and under section 21/22 of Air Act, 1981, before commissioning and production as directed by the Hon ble Supreme Court of India. The CFO will be renewed each year by the management in consultation with SPCB. 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 Central 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. 26