Environmental impact analyses of mining of marine minerals :

Environmental studies of coastal placer minerals

CSIR National Institute of Oceanography,

GOA
Investigative Report
Environmental studies of coastal placer minerals

India possesses a vast coastal tract of approximately 7000 km along the

eastern and western seaboards with large reserves of placers viz.,
ilmenite, rutile, leucoxene, zircon, monazite, silimanite and garnet.
ilmenite is the largest constituent of the Indian beach sand deposits,
followed by silimanite and garnet.

The occurrence of ilmenite-rich sands have been reported along the

Ratnagiri coast, extending from 1 km to 5 km. in length and 100 to 400m
wide, located intermittently and spread over a coastal length of 45 km
(Gujar et al, 1987 & Gujar et al, 2004). The heavy mineral concentration
varies from 20-83% by weight. The cumulative heavy mineral reserves are
about 3.45MT out of which ilmenite is 1.67MT. According to the above
survey, TiO2 content of Newra deposit is 53% and Kalbadevi is 52%. The
above two areas are considered to be potential deposits for future placer
exploitation. Similarly, potential deposits of ilmenite, monazite, zircon and
garnets have been found on the coasts of Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh and
Orissa. However, environmental studies have not been undertaken in
these areas, to understand the baseline conditions and to predict the
possible impacts of mining in these areas.

Potential effects of placer mining are expected to be on the near-shore

environment, navigation channels, fishing grounds, breeding grounds,
diverse fauna as well as the recreational facilities. The placer areas are
known to have diverse flora and fauna in a variety of ecosystems, such as
sand dunes, mangroves, sea grass beds, wetlands etc. These are highly
productive for commercially important fishes, molluscs, crustaceans and
host a variety of bioactive molecules that could be of medicinal
importance. Sand dune vegetation is a natures line of defense that help
the human habitats by catching blowing sand, deflecting wind upwards,
retaining fresh water and protecting the hinterland from wave attack and
stormy seas.
In view of the significance of coastal environment and the need to
preserve it from the impacts of placer mining, the environmental studies
for coastal placer minerals has been initiated.

The major activities under this investigation are:

i. Evaluation of environmental conditions associated with different placer
minerals along East and West coasts of India

ii. Development of ecological models for prediction of environmental

impact
of
placer mining
iii. Development of protocols for environmental data collection and
monitoring
iv. Creation of environmental database for different placer deposits

The following studies have been conducted under this project:

2002-2003 : Finalized the study area, parameters to be used, and the
sampling protocol for collection of data
2003-2004 : Initiated the environmental studies in the intertidal zone.
Completed baseline environmental studies, made pits, excavated sand,
removed the heavy mineral fraction and dumped the sand back into the
pits to simulate the coastal placer mining. Assessed the immediate impact
of the disturbance on the coastal ecosystem.
2004-2005 : Studied the seasonal variation of environmental parameters
in the same intertidal zone covering the seasons before, during and after
the monsoon to understand the natural changes occurring in the area.
2005-2006 : Initiated the environmental studies in the offshore region off
Kalbadevi (west coast of India). Baseline studies were followed by
environmental impact assessment of the sand mining system deployed by
CMERI, Durgapur. Large quantities of sand was lifted from the offshore
areas and discharged back. Immediate changes in the environmental
parameters were monitored.
2006-2007 : Studied the seasonal variation of environmental parameters
in the offshore area covering 3 seasons related to monsoon.
2007-2008 : Conducted environmental studies in the offshore region off
Paradip (east coast of India). Baseline studies were followed by
environmental impact assessment of the sand mining system deployed by
CMERI, Durgapur. Large quantities of sand was pumped from the offshore
areas, stored in huge tanks and superficial water was discharged back.
Immediate changes in the environmental parameters were monitored

Annexure- Source (IREL Report)

Statewise Reserves of Ilmenite and other associated Heavy Minerals

Zone

State

Av. Total
Heavy
Mineral
(%)

& 10-35

Reserves in Million Tonnes

Ilmenit
e

Rutil
e

Zirco
n

Monazit
e

Garne
t

Sillimanit
e

111

3.98

4.93

2.64

63.91

51.25

Eastern

Orissa
Andhra
Pradesh

Tamil
Nadu

Tamil Nadu

7-39

87

4.46

7.63

1.34

21.52

18.78

Kerala

Kerala

7-64

75

4.85

5.22

1.13

0.97

12.09

Others

Maharashtra,
Bihar & Bengal

0.20

0.47

1.44

1.74

TOTAL

278

13.49 18.25

6.55

86.40

83.86