EFFECTS OF TAILINGS DISPOSAL ON THE ENVIRONMENT: A CASE STUDY OF NAMPUNDWE MINE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17159/Abstract
Globally, the demand of mineral products is ever increasing. Extraction of these mineral resources result in the continuous production of huge volume of waste material, including tailing dumps. The amount of tailings usually exceeds the actual resource and often contain hazardous contaminants. This study investigated the effects of tailings disposal on soil, water and air quality in Nampundwe area. Water, soil and dust samples were collected from different locations of the surrounding communities. The metals and elements sampled included Copper, Cobalt, Iron, Sulphate and Silica. According to the results obtained, some seepages were occurring from the tailings impoundment to the shallow aquifer in the area. However, the general water quality meets the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) statutory limits. Sulphate, Copper, Cobalt, Iron and Silica recorded concentration were between 0.003mg/l and 705mg/l which is way below ZEMA statutory limit. Silica concentration was also evident in the air. The highest concentration recorded was 260 ppcc recorded in July 2019 at 260 ppcc in the Northern direction of the tailings dam. The concentration was below the statutory limit of 350 ppcc. The top soil from the northern part of the tailings recorded silica dust concentration of 39.9 ppcc. Iron was evident from the bottom soil with concentration of 8.01 ppcc, cobalt 0.005 ppcc, copper 0.051 ppcc while sulphate recorded 0.41 ppcc. From the results obtained, it clearly showed that the elements tested had no environmental implications on the surrounding areas of Nampundwe mine.
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