Is Heavy Mineral Mining An Environmental Concern?

The process of heavy mineral mining begins with extracting mineral rich sand from the sea shores and transporting it to a processing plant. In India this extraction is done manually using hand tools. Although, in heavy mineral mining you need to extract sand from the shores, it does not lead to any depreciation of land, because the sand after the extracting the minerals is transported back to the shores and filled in the places where mining is conducted.

Sustainable methods of mining ensure that there is no environmental harm is caused due to this activity. If the right care is taken, the entire process can be pollution free and cause very less or no harm to the people living near the mining areas. Activities mentioned below can be undertaken in support of environmental sustainability while mining:

• Sprinklers at mining sites minimise the spread of red dust in the atmosphere.

• Reclamation and rehabilitation of dormant mines can be done through afforestation and other techniques.

• Recycled water from mines can be supplied to nearby villages for secondary use.

• Mechanised road sweepers can clean up the surroundings on mining routes.

VV Mineral, India is an environment-friendly organization which has taken various steps over the years to conserve water through smart usage of water in its operations. Being a water conscious company, VVM does not use fresh water in mining process and does not use chemicals in its concentration plants. Due to its continued efforts, VVM is already saving more than 1.2 million KL water every year. They also use wind mills to generate power. It is family grown business started by Mr. S Vaikundarajan, Chairman of VV Group of companies.