Mine Economics Reference to West Bengal Surface Mines
Keywords:
Sustainable Development, Mines, Minerals, sustainability, Environmental, Chi square, Socio economic, Indicators, PCA, STATA, PRA technique, Map, Coal, MOEF, Social impact assessment, Sustainable Livelihood Approach, Mine closure, Ecological footprint, DFID, Natural Capital, Physical Capital, Asset pentagon, Air quality, Soil quality, index, Quality, Stake holderSynopsis
Mining is extraction of exhaustible resources. Each mine has a finite life span. Sustainable mining has been defined by Tilton (2009) as an oxymoron, since mining depends on non-renewable, and depleting mineral resources. Therefore, mining, by its very nature is unsustainable. However, World Bank has promoted sustainability throughout the mine life cycle, and even after mine closure, to ensure non declining welfare for the local people (Pokolbin 2006). A mine is closed down when subsurface reserve is exhausted, or it is no longer economically viable. In a closed mine site, derelict landform, will bring forth several sustainability issues. Extensive land is degraded due to abandoned mines and old dumps. Indigenous people lose their traditional means of earning from the degraded natural resources, around the closed mine site.
