Waste Management Outlook for Mountain Regions

University described the villages around the Porgera gold mine in Papua New Guinea as poverty-stricken, over-crowded and unsafe. Many communities experience water shortages and poor sanitation with limited waste management options. The problems are exacerbated by a continual influx of people from surrounding areas seeking economic opportunity (Fisher 2016). The waste issues faced by the camps that proliferate around large scale industrial mining operations are also apparent in the communities associated with small scale and informal mining in remote mountains areas. Artisanal mining is often the only available source of livelihood for communities in gold or gem rich mountain areas. Former farmers turn to mining and flock to shanty towns that spring up following the rush to wealth and in these towns waste management is a low priority. The gold mining camps that have been established high in the Andes near the border between Peru and Bolivia are an example. In 2015 Peruvian police went to Ananea and destroyed 18 of these camps and the heavy machinery used by the thousands of miners living there. This was reportedly undertaken to protect the catchment of Lake Titicaca, the largest freshwater body in South America, from mercury and other waste originating from the mines (A/P 2015). Earlier this year Peruvian police ventured into the mountains further north and destroyed 15 mining camps in the Huascarán National Park (a UNESCO recognized biosphere reserve). These miners were excavating for zinc and lead (Mann 2016). Mining above the clouds: Waste generated from the extraction and processing of the ore Mining activities have the potential to produce large amounts of hazardous material. Mining wastes consist of solid, liquid and gaseous waste. The solid waste includes mine tailings which, along with overburden, are generally the most voluminous waste produced at mine sites. They are also the most likely source of serious environmental damage. The composition of the tailings depends on the nature of the host rock, the material being mined and the processing method. Following extraction, the ore is processed to concentrate the minerals. Processing may include, crushing, washing (which can require large amounts of water) and chemical treatment. The waste from processing, referred to as tailings, consists of ground rock, uneconomic metals and water that contains unrecovered processing reagents and chemicals. Tailings are generally dischargedas a slurry and retainedon site indams, impoundments and banks. In some instances, they are still intentionally disposed of into valleys and waterways (a practice generally restricted to developing countries; see Ok tedi case study).

TAILING STORAGE FACILITY FAILURES IN MOUNTAINS REGIONS THE AMERICAS, 2000-2015

Pinchi Lake (Canada) 30.11.2004

Mount Polley (Canada) 04.08.2014

Obed Mountain (Canada) 31.10.2013

Inez (USA) 11.10.2000

Kingston fossil plant (USA) 22.12.2008

Buenavista del Cobre (Mexico) 07.08.2014

Huancavelica (Peru) 25.06.2010

Sebastião das Águas Claras * (Brazil) 22.06.2001

Herculano * (Brazil) 10.09.2014

Germano (Brazil) 05.11.2015

Cerro Negro (Chile) 03.10.2003

Miraí (Brazil) 10.01.2007

Main accidents

and the mine ore type

Iron Copper Silver

Volume of tailings and waste released

Bauxite Mercury Coal / Coal ash

* No data available on waste released volume Source: Center for Science in Public Participation, http://csp2.org/

10 000 000 m³ 1 000 000 m³ 100 000 m³

65