Mining for Closure: Policies, practises and guidelines for sustainable mining and closure of mines

are clearly identified as a key issue within this topic. The ENVSEC initiative has also been active on this front and this short section relates to that work. A desk assessment of security risks posed by min- ing, and particularly those associated with pollution from residual mining wastes Reducing Environment & Security Risks fromMining in South Eastern Europe (Peck, 2004) and the UNEP Rapid Environmental Assessment of the Tisza River Basin (Burnod-Requia, 2004) 20 both generated during 2004, showed clearly that there are a large number of mineral re- source related sites that are of high hazard in the SEE/TRB area. Further, evidence was found that many have significant risks associated with them that threaten the environment, public health and safety, and/or regional socio-political stability in the SEE/TRB countries addressed by the studies. 21 Moreover, it was found that mining and minerals processing operations addressed in the study can affect (and are affecting) the surrounding environ- ment and communities via: airborne transport of pollutants such as dust, smelter emissions, gases, vapours; mass movement of “solid” wastes (generally tailings containing heavy metals and toxic compounds); mass movement of liquid, or semi-liquid wastes (again, generally tailings containing heavy metals and toxic compounds); waterborne transport of wastes as suspended solids and as dissolved materials. • • • •

Among the sites and operations examined in the study, it was clear that the dominant pathway of ex- posure – at all levels of interest – is via waterways (fluvial transport) and that the dominant hazards were posed by large tailings impoundments. While airborne toxic emissions from smelters transport- ed in the atmosphere have been a very significant issue in the past, the regional and transboundary importance of airborne emissions appear to have generally reduced in importance. 22 The overriding importance of fluvial transport mechanisms for tailings wastes in transboundary pollution risks bears several implications with it. To name but a few – very large volumes of mate- rials can be involved with catastrophic damage to downstream land, property and ecosystems associ- ated with the physical impacts of such accidents; biochemical, and eco-toxicological effects of these pollutants can be catastrophic and can extend far beyond the zone physically affected by such mate- rials; the physical and biochemical, and eco-toxico- logical effects can be very long term. 20. Also building upon an important earlier report from the In- ternational Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR/Zinke Environment Consulting, 2000). 21. Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo (Territory under UN interim administration), Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro. 22. Although sites such as RTB Bor in Serbia and a range of others are still operational, a number of smelter operations have ceased opera- tions, or are closed until such time that acceptable levels of emission can be achieved through upgrading of plant, or have undergone sig- nificant emissions control upgrading pursuant to foreign investment.

Unconfined concentrator waste stockpile adjacent to urban area – Baia Mare, Romania Photograph by Philip Peck

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MINING FOR CLOSURE