Restoring Damaged Lands
The proper term for the process of returning damaged land into a useful state is restoration. For example, infertile soil can be made fertile by letting it rest or by adding fertilizers. In this page, we shall discuss how land damaged by mining can be restored.
When a parcel of land is used for mining, the vegetation on it is cleared to prevent obstructions for mining machineries. Large amounts of overlying soil and rocks are removed to get to the minerals ore found beneath the ground. As miners dig for mineral ores, huge gaping holes are formed. These holes when filled with rainwater become mining pools which are toxic and prevents plant growth, thus resulting in the area becoming barren. Besides all these, heaps of mining waste piled up from soil and rocks dug out during mining may contain poisonous substances which damages the soil.
All these problems can be solved by carrying out restoration work on the area. The restoration work can be developed into different sections.
Firstly, gaping holes can be filled up completly with non-poisonous waste. If mining pools have already formed, then they can be made shallower and then converted to lakes or ponds for recreational purposes. An example of this is the Taiping Lake Gardens in Malaysia which was converted from a former tin mine.
Secondly, the heap of mining waste must be levelled. Some of the non-poisonous soil is used to fill up gaping holes formed in the ground. However, soil which are poisonous must be treated with chemicals. This process known as Chemical Treatment treats the soil by adding acidic substances into the soil to neutralize the effect of alkaline on it
Thirdly, vegetation is replanted to protect the soil against wind and rain. Fertilizers are also added to fertilize the land for farming purposes.
The environmental problems caused by tin mining has been lessened with the help of governments in many countries. They passed laws which required tin mining companies to carry out restoration work after they have mined a parcel of excavated land. Discharge of waste from mines into the rivers are reduced to prevent the extent of damage on the environment.
Old mines in Malaysia are have also been successfully converted into housing estates. Also with the growth of tourism, old mines are opened to allow tourist to get the taste of life in the olden days. Old mines therfore do not go to waste. Instead, they are given a new, profitable use.
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