| Mining may cause environmental issues ranging from waste rock and tailing disposal , land disturbance, dust and noise, to water use and pollution. If not managed well, any of these could adversely affect the health and livelihood of the poor and vulnerable groups living near mining operations. The first step for governments to mitigate such risks is to engage relevant communities and groups through information and education, while using the legal and regulatory framework, as well as direct agreements with the mining company, to establish appropriate environmental performance as well as acceptable work conditions. Key to mitigating environmental risks is setting and monitoring appropriate standards.
All projects financed by the Mining Department have to adhere to strict social and environmental guidelines which help ensure that mining operations are undertaken in a responsible manner, including the following from the World Bank Environmental, Health, and Safety Guidelines for:
Governments that want to ensure that mining companies take an environmentally and socially responsible approach, may want to focus on six areas in which laws, regulations, and direct agreements with the mining companies, as well as proactive policy interventions, can be designed:
- Land water use
- Waste management
- Chemicals and pollutants
- Tailings disposal
- Human health risks
- Potential environmental risks and the plans to mitigate these risks
It is important to note that adequacy of environmental and social safeguards has to be ensured at all stages of a mining operation, ranging form exploration, construction, operation, to the closure of mine operations. Questions to be asked should include:
- Adequacy: Are these safeguards adequate, respected, and implemented, and can they be monitored?
- Definitions: Are environmental responsibilities defined for orphaned sites and for decontamination of the land? What is the definition of closure, reclamation, and clean-up? What is the definition of rehabilitation–for example, returning disturbed land to a predevelopment state or alternative uses of the land? What agreements can be reached on the use of land after mine closure, in particular, for land rehabilitation? Are safety issues, such as tailings dam spill, in the post-mine context taken into account in the mine closure plan.
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