LAND RESOURCES

Q1.

• Assigned land use – Mines

• Name of location - Thimmappanagudi Iron Ore Mine, Karnataka, India.

Q2.

Screenshot during the year 2019

Q3.

Screenshot during the year 2003

Q4.

The area surrounding the mine – In 2003 we can see the agricultural lands
surrounding the mine, but in 2019 they aren’t there.

Also it seems that the mine is dug deep in 2019 when compared to 2003.

Q5.

Mining is one such activity which causes environmental degradation. To

extract the minerals from the land, the land needs to be dug deep which causes
soil erosion as there is a loss of topsoil. This loss of topsoil leads to a decrease
in soil fertility. During open cast mining, the forests have to be cut down,
leading to deforestation accompanied by a major loss of flora and fauna. This
also contributes to the loss of habitat The long process of mining also causes
noise pollution. Mining also causes very disastrous effects on surface and
groundwater. As this process of extraction requires a lot of water, this leads to
depletion of groundwater. Also, during this process, harmful chemicals such as
lead, carbon monoxide, cadmium are released which leads to contamination of
surface water. Mining also causes air pollution as dust, suspended particles, and
gases are released into the atmosphere. After mining, the productivity of the
land decreases as it does not remain suitable for agriculture or industrial work.
Mining also destroys landscape and also the surrounding. As this activity is
quite dangerous, it has a significant impact on the workers and the people living
nearby, as they need to shift to other places.

Q6.

The different stakeholders who are affected by mining are the people
(communities) who reside at the location where mining is to be done. It is very
difficult for these communities as they have to leave everything, their homes,
occupations, etc and shift to another place in order to sustain their livelihood.
When these mining operations are conducted in forests, even the tribal
communities living their get displaced, which is quite unjustified. The farmers
working on agricultural land which goes under mining also lose their livelihood.
Miners are the ones who are most affected. They go through major injuries as
they have to deal with heavy equipments. The dust and chemicals which are
emitted during the process are very harmful to the respiratory system. There are
many cases of mines collapsing resulting in deaths of miners.

Q7. The negative impacts of mining can be mitigated by planning the process
carefully. Before mining the company needs to research thoroughly the area,
methods which are going to be used, etc. After the mining has been done,
instead of leaving the land barren, some vegetation should be maintained.
Technology can be used to improve the machinery to carry out mining in a
much better way and implementing practices that might help in reducing
environmental degradation. We can even use alternative energy sources for
power to extract minerals. Methods of mining should be improved in such a
way that water consumption/usage reduces.