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EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐ENGLISH
SOAPSTONEMININGATVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL‐KANDA,DISTRICTBAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
PREPAREDBY:
ENVIRONMENTMANAGEMENTDIVISION
M/SINDIAGLYCOLS LTD.A–1,INDUSTRIALAREA, KASHIPUR, UTTARAKHAND
MINELEASEAREA– 49.79 HA
PROPOSEDCAPACITY–31693TPA
APPLICANT
SMT.NANDITATIWARIW/OLATESHRIJ.C.TIWARI,
TIRUPATIMALLIBAMORI,HALDWANI,DISTRICTNAINITAL,UTTARAKHAND
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
E‐1
PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
EXECUTIVESUMMARY
TheprojecthasbeenproposedfortheMiningofSoapstonefromtheprivateunevenAgricultural
Landbyopencastmanualextractionmethod.
TheLeaseofSoapstoneminingisanexistingproject,measuring49.79hectares.Theleasewas
sanctioned from the Office of Industrial Development Govt. of Uttarakhand in favour of Smt.
Nandita Tiwari,W/O Late Shri J.C. Tiwari, TirupatiMalli Bamori, Haldwani, District Nainital,
Uttarakhand on 20‐05‐1972. The lease area lies in Village – Kanda‐Tharp, Tehsil & District
Bageshwar, Uttarakhand. The lease was primarily executed for a period of 5 years from
19/03/1978 to 18/03/1983. First Renewal for 10 years was granted from 19/03/1983 to
18/03/1993. Second Renewal took place for another 10 years from 19/03/1993 to
18/03/2003.Thirdrenewalwasappliedforaperiodof20yearson07/06/2000&ispending
withthestategovt.,howeverthestategovt.hasgivenconsenttocontinuetheminingoperations
tillanyfurtherorder.Theminingplanwasapprovedvideletterno.614(2/MP—B‐252/06‐DDN
Dated03/11/2006foraperiodof5years(i.e.from2006‐07to2010‐11).MiningPlan/Scheme
ofminingalongwithPMCPhasbeenapprovedunderMCDR,1988videletterNo.614(2)/MS‐B‐
203/12‐DDNdated13.09.2012byDeputyControllerofMines,IndianBureauofMinesandvalid
foraperiodof5yearseffectivetill13.09.2017.
TheexpectedprojectcostofthemineisRs17Lacs,Totalmineablereservesasondateasper
theschemeofminingare39,69,183 tonnes&withmaximumofproductionofmineral31693
tonnesattheendoffifthyear,thelifeofminecomesabout125years.
AspertheMoEF,NewDelhiGazettedated14thSeptember2006andsubsequentamendments,
theproposedminingprojectiscategorizedascategory‘B’project.
REGULATORYCOMPLIANCES&APPLICABLELAWS/REGULATIONS
WithreferencetoLetterNo.2186(1)/7/2004‐248KHA/2002,dated11‐10‐2004,issuedby
Uttarakhand Government, stated that as per Mineral Concession Rule 1960 (24 A)6. The
Mining Lease Renewal deemed to be extended for the period till the Government passes
Orderthereon&proponentshallbeeligiblefordoingminingactivitytillfurtherOrderasper
theaboveRule.
As per Letter No. 30 (02)/2006‐RC, Ministry of Mines, New Delhi, Dated 17.09.2010 give
their consent formining videOrder no. 367/2010, Dated 15.09.2010 against the Revision
ApplicationFilebytheProponent.
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
E‐2
PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
WithreferencetoLetterNo.1303/VII‐1/25‐WRIT/2012(247‐KHA)/2002,Dated23.01.2013
issuedbyChiefSecretary,GovernmentofUttarakhandgiventheirconsenttocontinuemining
fromthesaidleaselandtillthefinaldecisionontherenewalofminelease.
MiningPlan/Schemeofminingalongwithprogressivemineclosureplanhasbeenapproved
vide Letter No. 614 (2)/MS—B‐203/12‐DDN Dated 13/09/2012 by the Indian Bureau of
Mines,Dehradun,ProjectProponentshallsubmitacopyofEIA/EMPtotheRegionalOffice
ofMinesafterapprovalfromMoEF.
Terms of Reference have been issued from SEAC, Uttarakhand vide their Letter No.
425/SEACdated.05.08.2014.
There isnoNationalPark,WildlifeSanctuary,NationalMonument,ReservedandProtected
Forestwithinmineleasearea.
ThereisnolegalissueagainsttheProjectinthecourtoflaw.
SalientFeaturesoftheProject
NameoftheApplicant Smt.NanditaTiwari
Name&Address Name :Smt.NanditaTiwari
W/OLateShriJ.C.tiwari
TirupatiMalliBarmori,
Haldwani
District:Nainital
Uttarakhand‐263139
Nameoftheproject SoapstoneMining
Village KandaTharp
Tehsil Kanda
District&State Bageshwar,Uttarakhand
NearestRailwayStation Kathgodam–200Km(byroad)
NearestAirport PantNagar–220Km(byroad)
NearestHighway Bageshwar‐Barinagroad(~28.0km)
Mineral Soapstone
Area(ha) 49.79ha
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
E‐3
PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
PeriodofLease(Yrs) 20years
StatusofMine Existing
LOCATION
The mining area is located in Village: Kanda Tharp, Tehsil: Kanda, District: Bageshwar,
Uttarakhand. The applied area is about 28 km from Bageshwar on Bageshwar‐Barinag PWD
road. The lease area is about 3.0 km from Kanda Parao & is approachable by Kanda Parao‐
DhaploasheraPWDmetalledroad.Themininglease/proposedprojectareafalls inSurveyof
IndiaToposheetNo.53O/13.TheCo‐ordinatesofthemineleaseareaare:
Latitude 29°49’12.62”to29°49’33.01”N
Longitude 79°52’05.86”to79°52’56.81”E
LEASEHOLDAREADETAILS
TheentireMiningLeaseareaof49.79isanonforest land&comprisesofunevenagricultural
landonlyhavingdepositsofSoapstone.
Theentire leaseholdareaof49.79Ha liesunderprivateownership.Lesseehasobtainedno
objectioncertificatefromtheindividuallandownersfortheexploitationofmineralSoapstone.
Theexistinglandusepatternofthemineleaseareaisasgivenbelow:
Existinglandusepatternoftheleasearea
S.No. Activities Area(ha)
1. Miningpits 4.517
2. Wastedumps 1.018
3. Backfilledarea 3.193
4. Drainage 0.012
5. Foottrack 0.062
6. Retainingwall 0.006
7. Undisturbedarea 40.982
TOTAL 49.79
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
E‐4
PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES & BASIC AMENITIES WITHIN THE STUDY
AREA
Road: The mine lease area is connected by 500 m long mule track from Kanda‐parao to
Dhapolasera unmetalled PWD road. The road is metalled up to Kanda‐parao. The area is
accessiblebythisroadfromKandaatadistanceof22Km.
Water:Governmenthasprovidedwatersupplyschemetomostofthehouseholdinthenearby
villagesandthereisalsoprovisionofsourceslikespringsalso.
Electricity:Electricityisavailableinmostofthehousesinthenearbyvillages.
Education:Primaryschoolexistsnear the leasearea.Kandahasall theessential facilities for
education that includes Boys and Girls higher secondary school, Inter College, Industrial
trainingInstitute.KandahasoneoftheoldestcollegesinKumaonregion.
Medicalfacilities:MajormedicalfacilitiesareavailableatKanda.
Bankingfacilities:BranchofStateBankofIndiaisavailableatKandeKanyal.
Post&Telegraphfacilities:Post&Telegraphfacilitiesareavailableneartheminesite.
Railwaystation:NearestrailheadisavailableatKathgodamataroaddistanceof200Km.
Airport:NearestairportisPantnagaratadistanceof222Kmbyroad.
MINERALRESERVES
Categorywiseupdatedreserveswithgradeareasfollows:
Typeofreserves UNFC
Code
Quantity(tonnes) Grade
In situ
reserves
Recoverable
reserves
ProvedMineralReserves 111 4982952 4733806 Cosmetic,paper&soap
ProbableMineralReserves 121 3368617 3200186 Cosmetic,paper&soap
TOTAL 8351569 7933992
InferredMineralResource 333 2773274 2634611 Cosmetic,paper&soap
MINING
Theminingwillbecarriedoutbyopencastmanuallymethod.The topsoil&subsoilwillbe
scrappedmanually&stackedseparatelyneartheworkingpit.AnExcavatorshallbedeployed
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
E‐5
PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
fortheremovalofoverburden&interburdenbut itsdeploymentwillberarely&occasionally
for4‐5daysinamonth.ThemagnesitebouldersintermixedwithSoapstonewillbebrokenwith
the help of chisel and hammer and dumped near the mining faces. The Soapstone will be
excavatedwiththehelpofcrowbar&spadeandstackedseparately.Sorting&sizingofmineral
willbecarriedoutmanually.Nofurtherbeneficiationshallbeundertakenduringfirstfiveyears.
DifferentgradeofSoapstonewillbefilledinto50kgplasticbags&transporteduptothePWD
road by mules. From road side the Soapstone bags will be loaded into trucks manually &
transporttoHaldwani.
In thepastmininghasbeencarriedout inanunsystematicandhaphazardmanner.Hence, in
future mining will be done in an eco‐friendly, systematic and scientific manner. The salient
featuresoftheminingmethodare:
Itwillbeopencastmanualmine.
An excavator shall be deployed for the removal of overburden & inter burden & its
deploymentshallbe4‐5daysinamonth.
Soapstonemineisanalreadyexistingone,hencedoesnotcallforanyspecificdevelopment.
Duringthewholecourseofmining,benchheightwillbekept1.5m;widthofbenchesshall
bekept2mwithfaceslopeof75°.
Eachminingfaceshallbeprovidedwitha1mwidefoottrackhavingagradientof1:6.
Miningshallbecarriedoutintwopitssimultaneously.
Pit‐I :anareaof1.155hashallbeoccupiedby themine faces,Face lengthwillvary from
35mto210m,widthoffaceshallbekeptat2mandamountofadvancementwillvaryfrom
4mto55m.Slopeoffacesshallbekeptat75°andmaintaininganoverallpitslopeof45°.
An area of 2445m2 shall be reserved for interburden dumping and 145m2area shall be
coveredbytopsoil.
Pit‐II:anareaof1.775hashallbeoccupiedbytheminefaces,Facelengthwillvaryfrom8
mto170m,widthoffaceshallbekeptat2mandamountofadvancementwillvaryfrom8
mto60m.Slopeoffacesshallbekeptat70°to75°andmaintaininganoverallpitslopeof
45°.Anareaof5000m2shallbereservedforinterburdendumpingand480m2areashallbe
coveredbytopsoil.
Mining shall be carried out from top to bottom through the formation of benches, As the
miningpitapproachesthemaximumeconomicaldepth,rehabilitationshallbestartedfrom
topbenches.
Topsoil&interburdentobegeneratedshallbetemporarilydumpedontheearmarkedsite
towardsslopeside&usedforbackfillingfromthirdyearonwards.
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
E‐6
PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
Theretainingwallhavingawidthandheighteachof0.75mwillbeerectedallalongtheside
andslopeofinterburdendumpsandtopsoilstacks.
Nodrillingandblastingisrequired.Toolslikecrowbars,Pick‐axes,spade;chisels,hammers
etc.willbeused.
ProductionTargetParameters:
Thesoapstoneproductiontargetforthefirstfiveyears,alongwiththetargetforremovalofSoil
&interburdenwasteisgivenbelow:
Year Pitno. Total
excavated
Soapstone
(Tonnes)
Saleable
soapstone
(Tonnes)
Interburden
(cum)
Top
Soil
(cum)
Stripping
Ratio
1st
year
Pit‐1 9876 9380 8863 623 1 : 0.95
Pit‐2 17433 16560 15644 1227 1 : 0.97
Total 27309 25940 24507 1850 1 : 0.96
2nd
year
Pit‐1 12695 12060 11392 112 1 : 0.91
Pit‐2 15961 15163 13524 198 1 : 0.86
Total 28656 27223 24916 310 1 : 0.88
3rdyear Pit‐1 14519 13811 13030 396 1 : 0.92
Pit‐2 14941 14194 13408 901 1 : 0.96
Total 29460 28005 26438 1297 1 : 0.94
4th
year
Pit‐1 12963 12315 11633 0 1 : 0.90
Pit‐2 16963 16114 15222 1330 1 : 0.98
Total 29926 28429 26855 1330 1 : 0.94
5th
year
Pit‐1 15369 14610 13791 0 1 : 0.89
Pit‐2 17983 17083 16139 630 1 : 0.93
Total 33352 31693 29930 630 1 : 0.91
TOTAL Pit‐1 65422 62176 58709 1131 1 : 0.91
Pit‐2 83281 79114 73937 4286 1 : 0.94
Total 148703 141290 132646 5417 1 : 0.93
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
E‐7
PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
Theminewillbeworkedonthedayshiftonly;theaveragenumberofworkingdaysintheyear
wouldbe240.Duringthefirstfiveyearsofworkingabout1,41,290tonneofsoapstonewillbe
produced.
GREENBELTDEVELOPMENT
The total land use is agricultural & individual land ownerswill not allow plantation in their
respectivefields.Sinceplantationoftreeswillbeanobstacletofarming,itwouldbeadvisable
thattheplantationistakenupelsewhere.Thereforeplantationisproposedtobetakenoutside
the leasehold in the benap land. Plantation of Chilmora,Doob grass shall also be undertaken
overwastedumpsand&subgradedumpsforstabilizationofwastematerial&maintainingthe
aestheticbeautyofthearea.
Based on their native nature and survival rate, following species are selected to be planted
duringtheplantationprogramme:
Oak,Banjh,Kafal
Chir,Devdar
Citrus,Malta,Narangi
Tun,Dudhil,Timul
Year wise plantation will be taken towards north‐east outside themine lease area over van
panchayatlandwithconsultationofDFO.Year‐wiseplantationprogrammeforfirstfiveyearsas
perapprovedschemeofminingisasgivenbelow:
Greenbeltdevelopment
Year Area(ha) No.ofSaplings
1styear 0.5 500
2ndyear 0.5 500
3rdyear 0.5 500
4thyear 0.5 500
5thyear 0.5 500
Total 2.5 2500
Chimora,Agave,Doobgrasswillalsobeplantedbecauseofitssoilbindingproperties.Giventhe
typeofclimateandotherphysicalfeatures,theexpectedrateofsurvivalis50%to60%.
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
E‐8
PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
WATERSUPPLY
Thewaterrequiredismainlyfordustsuppression,greenbeltdevelopment,drinkingandother
domesticpurposeduringminingoperations.The totalwater requirementwillbe5.0m3/day;
whichwillbemetfromnaturalspringresource&riverwaterasperavailability&suitabilityfor
thepurpose.
WaterDemand
S.No. Purpose WaterRequirement(KLD)
1. Domestic 2.0
2. DustSuppression 1.5
3. GreenBeltDevelopment 1.5
TOTAL 5.0
BASELINEDATA
Thedatacollectedhasbeenusedtounderstandtheexistingenvironmentscenarioaroundthe
proposedminingprojectagainstwhichthepotentialimpactsoftheprojectcanbeassessed.
Environmentaldatahasbeencollectedinrelationtoproposedminingfor:‐
(a)Air
(b)Noise
(c)Water
(d)Soil
(e)EcologyandBiodiversity
(f)Socio‐economy
BaselineEnvironmentStatus
Attribute Baselinestatus
LandEnvironment Landuse surrounding 1 Km from the project site comprises mainly of
private agricultural land and some waste land. A detailed study was
carriedout toassessLandusepatternsurrounding the10kmradiusof
thesite.Thelandusepatternstudyrevealsthatthe10kmenvironment
is predominantly Forest followed by agriculture with few settlements,
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
E‐9
PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
someopenwastelandandwaterbodies.
AmbientAirQuality AmbientAirQualityMonitoring reveals that theminimum&maximum
concentrationsofPM2.5forallthe6AQmonitoringstationswerefound
tobe17.98µg/m3atAQ‐1and41.99µg/m3atAQ‐5&AQ‐6,respectively
whiletheminimum&maximumconcentrationsofPM10wasfoundtobe
32.56µg/m3atAQ‐1&AQ‐3and58.42µg/m3atAQ‐2,respectively.
As far as the gaseous pollutants SO2 and NOx are concerned, the
prescribed CPCB limit of 80 µg/m3 for residential and rural areas has
neversurpassedatanystation.
NoiseLevels
Noise monitoring was carried out at Six locations. The results of the
monitoring program indicated that both the daytime and night time
levelsofnoisewerewellwithintheprescribedlimitsofCPCB,atallthe
Sixlocationsmonitored.
WaterQuality
SixGroundwatersampleswereanalyzedandconcludedthat:
The ground water from all sources remains suitable for drinking
purposes as all the constituents are within the limits prescribed by
drinkingwaterstandardspromulgatedbyIndianStandardsIS:10500.
No surface body exists within the 1 Km radius ofmine site; hence no
samplinghasbeendoneforsurfacewater.
SoilQuality
Samplescollectedfromidentifiedlocationsindicatethesoilissandyclay
type and thepHvalue ranging from7.04 to 7.32,which shows that the
soilisneutraltoslightlyalkalineinnature.Potassiumisfoundtobefrom
62.78mg/kgto66.89mg/kg.TheMoistureretentionCapacityisfoundin
between36.99%to43.18%.
Ecology and
Biodiversity
TherearenoEcologicallySensitiveAreaspresent inthestudyarea,but
manyreservedforestsregionssurroundtheprojectarea
Socio‐economy
TheimplementationofsoapstoneminingprojectatvillageKandaTharp,
Tehsil –Kanda,Bageshwarwill throwopportunities to local people for
both direct and indirect employment. The study area is still lacking in
education,health,housing,etc.Itisexpectedthatsamewillimprovetoa
great extent due to proposed mining project and associated industrial
andbusinessactivities.
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
E‐10
PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
LANDUSEPATTERN
Proposed project is a new mine lease with some exploratory pits and already existing foot
tracks. Landuse pattern of the lease hold area for pre‐operational, operational & Post‐
operationalstageisasfollows:
S.No. ActivitiesAs on
date
Attheendof
mining
scheme
period(ha)
At the end of
conceptual
period(ha)
1. MinedOutarea
Brokenarea 4.517 2.93 36.72
Areafullyminedout 3.193 0.885 36.72
Area backfilled & reclaimed for
agriculture
3.193 0.885 36.72
2. DumpArea
Totalareaunderdump 1.018 0.807 Nil
Areaunderactivedump Nil 0.807 Nil
Dumpareafullyrehabilitated Nil Nil Nil
3. Others
Areaundermineralstack Nil Nil Nil
Areaunderroad 0.376 Nil Nil
Area under green belt (i.e.
plantation on area other than
dump&backfilledarea)
0.03 0.01 0.21
WASTEMANAGEMENT
The site formining is having a soil cover of 1.0 – 2.0m thickness (average 1.5m).Dumping
materialduringtheminewillconsistofsoilandwaste(overburden&interburden).Thelow
grade magnesite boulders are high silica percentage and hence the same is treated as
interburdenandwillbedumpedseparately.Nomineralrejectwillbeproducedduringnextfive
years.
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
E‐11
PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
The quantity of soil and interburdenmaterial to be generatedduring first five years is given
below:
Wastegeneratedduringthefirstfiveyears
Year
PitI PitII Total(afterswellfactor)
Interburden
(cum)
Top Soil
(cum)
Interburden
(cum)
Top Soil
(cum)
Interburden
(cum)
Top Soil
(cum)
I 8863 623 15644 1227 27940 2109
II 11392 112 13524 198 28406 353
III 13030 396 13408 901 30142 1479
IV 11633 ‐ 15222 1330 30617 1516
V 13791 ‐ 16139 630 34123 718
Total 58709 1131 73937 4286 151228 6176
Soil&wastestackedseparatelyneartheworkingpits.Thewastedump&topsoilstackednear
theminingpitwillbe temporary innature.Thereforesoil stack& interburdenmaterialhave
notproposed tobedumpedseparately.Retainingwallaround thewaste/ topsoildumpyard
will be constructing to arrest the waste and garland drain is made to flow of water. The
excavatedpitswouldberestoringbythebackfilling.Backfilledareawillbetoppedupwithsoil,
plantedwithgrass&madereadyforagriculture.
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
E‐12
PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
AIRENVIRONMENT
ANTICIPATEDIMPACTSANDEVALUATION
Miningshallbecarriedoutusingopencastmanualmethodwhichdoesnotinvolvedrillingand
blasting. Hence, there is no source of air pollution from the excavation activity. Loading of
mineralwillalsobedonemanuallyandtransporttilltheroadsideshallbecarriedoutviamules.
Therefore,emissionofdustoranyotherparticulatematterisnotanticipated.Thereisnoboiler,
DGSetoranyothermachinerywhichcanbeasourceofpollution.Onlysourceofairpollutionis
re‐suspension dust from the Excavation Process, Loading Operation andmovement ofmules
from mining site to roadside. This will not be a major issue as the dust emission will be
regulatedbysprinklingofwateronthetrackpathforsuppressingthedust.
MITIGATIONMEASURES
Thedustsuppressionmeasureslikewatersprayingwillbedoneontheroads.Thiswilldecrease
the dust emission by 75%. Utmost care will be taken to prevent spillage from the trucks.
Overloadingwillbeprevented.Plantationactivitiesalongtheroadswillalsoreducetheimpact
ofdust in thenearbyvillages. Dustmask,Goggleswillbeprovidedto theworkersengagedat
dustgenerationpointslikeexcavations,loadingandunloadingpoints. Truckswillbecoveredby
tarpaulinalso.
WATERENVIRONMENT
ANTICIPATEDIMPACTSANDEVALUATION
The impact on water quality will be confined to increased suspended solids during rain. No
surfaceorgroundwaterbodyexistswithinthemineleasearea.Astheminingisbeingcarried
outinthehillyregion,theproblemofgroundwaterpumpingwillnotbethere.Onlyrainwater
willhavetobechannelizedinsuchawaythatitdoesnotcarrysuspensiontonaturalstreams
flowingontheeitherside(North&South)ofleasearea.
Miningworkwillbeconfinedwithingulletdrivenfromthesouthtonorthandadvancetowards
easttowest.Aledgeofabout1mheightwillbekeptontheouteredgesothatindiscretewater
flowisavoided.Thedumpstobegeneratedwillbetemporaryinnature&usedforthepurpose
ofbackfillingbytheendofthirdyearonwards.Thedumpswillbesecuredwithtoewallsand
rainywaterwillnotcarrysignificantsuspendedmaterial.Howeverwatersprinklingonthefoot
trackshallbecarriedoutduringsummermonthtosuppressthedust.
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
E‐13
PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
MITIGATIONMEASURES
Miningofsoapstonedoesnothaveanysignificantimpactonthewaterqualityandparameters
as theminingdoesnot interceptwiththegroundwater level.Furthernosignificant impact is
anticipatedasthematerialexposedwillbemagnesiteanddolomite.Bothofthemfeeblyreact
with water and that too when water is acidic. Even if the reaction takes place it cause an
increase in temporaryhardness.However in thiscasedrinkingwater isbeing taken fromthe
naturalspring.Thedomesticsewageshallbedisposedthrougheco‐friendlymobiletoilet.
Inthisproject,itisnotproposedtodivertortruncateanystream.Noproposalisenvisagedfor
pumpingofwater from the river.Therewillnotbeanyadverse impacton surfacehydrology
andgroundwaterregimeduetothisproject.Projectproponentwilladhereallguidelinesand
rulesforproperandscientificmethodofminingduringtheperiodofextractingthesoapstone.
Thus,theprojectactivitiesshallnothaveanyadverseaffectonthephysicalcomponentsofthe
environmentandthereforemaynothaveanyeffectontherechargeofgroundwatersoraffect
thewaterquality.
NOISEENVIRONMENT
ANTICIPATEDIMPACTSANDEVALUATION
Astherewillbenoheavyearthmovingmachineryexceptanexcavatordeployedforoverburden
removal, there will not be any major impact on noise level due to the mining and other
associationactivitiesadetailednoisesurveyhasbeencarriedoutandresultsarediscussedin
Chapter ‐3. Itwas found that themining activitywill not have any significant impact on the
noiseenvironmentoftheregion.
MITIGATIONMEASURES
On‐site
Asminingwillbedonemanually,nomachinerieswillbeusedexceptanexcavatordeployedfor
overburden removal. So, as such no hearing protection is needed for the miners. However
Periodical monitoring of noise level near vicinity of operating mining and at some other
designated locations shall be carried out. Proper maintenance of all vehicles used for
transportationshallbeensured.
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
E‐14
PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
Off‐site
Theoff‐sitereceptorsarenotsignificantlyaffectedastheyarelocatedfarawayfromthemine
site.Plantationwill bedonealong the roadsides, civic amenities, etc.whichwillmore or less
dampentheoff‐sitenoiselevel.
It was found that the mining activity will not have any significant impact on the biological
environment of the region. Sincemining activity is carried out only during the day time, the
movementofanimalsduringthenightwillnotbehindered.Propermitigativemeasurewillbe
takenbythecontractor,inconsultationwithlocalNGOsworkinginthestudyarea.
TRAFFICANALYSIS
From the analysis it can be seen that therewill be amere addition of 4‐8 PCU/hr from the
proposedminingactivity.Sotheadditionalloadonthecarryingcapacitywillnotbeaffectedtoa
significantlevel.
ANALYSISOFALTERNATIVES
Soapstoneminingisasitespecificprojectdependinguponthegeologicalsetupandmineable
area.Thelandbeingunevenandnon‐suitabilityoflandforanyotherpurposemakesitsuitable
forminingasthelandwillbecomesuitableforagriculturepurposeattheendofminelife.This
willalsogenerateemploymenttothenearbyvillagers.Hence,thereisnotmuchscopeforsite
alternative.
Aspermineplan;mostefficientandleastpollutingtechnologieshavebeenprescribed.Hence,
no alternative technologyhas been adopted.Thus itwill havemore acceptability andhelp in
socioeconomicupliftmentofthearea.
ENVIRONMENTMONITORINGPROGRAMME
S.No. DescriptionofParameters ScheduleandDurationofMonitoring
1 AirQuality
a)Inthevicinityofthemine
b)Inthevicinityofthetransportationnetwork
24hourly samples twiceaweek forone
monthineachseasonexceptmonsoon.
2 WaterQuality
Water quality of surface and groundwater
Onceineachseason
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
E‐15
PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
aroundthesite
Drinking water must conform to drinking
waterstandards
3 AmbientNoiseLevel Twiceinayearforcoupleofyears&then
onceinayear
4 SoilQuality Onceintwoyearsonprojectmonitoring
area
5 Inventory of Flora(tree plantation, survival
etc)
Onceintwoyearsonprojectmonitoring
area
6 Socio‐economic conditionof local, population,
physicalsurvey
Oncein3or4years
SOCIAL IMPACTASSESSMENT,REHABILITATION&RESETTLEMENT (R&R)
ACTIONPLAN
Therewillbenoresettlementorrehabilitationinvolvedintheprojectasthesiteareadoesnot
involveanysettlementorhousing.
The implementationof the soapstoneminingproject invillage–KandaTharp,Tehsil‐Kanda,
district Bageshwar will throw opportunities to local people for both direct and indirect
employment.As theprojectproponent is the rightful lesseeof themine leasearea,hence the
soapstonemining operationwill be legalized and itwill fetch income to the state exchequer.
Theprojectwillalsoprovideimpetusto industrializationofthearea. It is likelythe intending
entrepreneurswillventuretosetupmicroandsmallscaleunitsinthenearfuturemakingthe
areaamixedsociety,dependenton industry, tradeandbusiness.Atpresentagriculture is the
main occupation of the people as 78 percent of the population depends on it. With the
implementationof theproposedminingproject theoccupationalpattern of thepeople in the
areawill changemakingmore people engaged in industrial and business activities rather in
agriculture.Thustherewillbeagradualshiftingofpopulationfromagriculturetominingand
industry.Further,theminingandindustrialactivitiesintheareamayleadtorapidincreasein
population and thereby urbanization. Due to urbanization of the area, employment
opportunitieswillfurtherincrease.
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
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PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
The study area is still lacking in education, health, housing, etc. It is expected that samewill
improve to a great extent due to proposed mining project and associated industrial and
businessactivities.
BENEFITSOFMINING
Theopeningoftheproposedprojectwillenhancethesocio‐economicactivitiesintheadjoining
areas.Thiswillresultinfollowingbenefits:‐
Improvementsinphysicalinfrastructure.
ImprovementsinSocialInfrastructure.
IncreaseinEmploymentPotential
ContributiontotheExchequer.
Preventionofillegalmining.
DuringandPost‐miningenhancementofgreencover.
CORPORATESOCIALRESPONSIBILITY
Though the proposedmining activity is out of the scope of CSRMandate 2013 of the Indian
Government, but the project proponent has made provisions to invest in community
developmentasapartoftheirCorporateSocialResponsibility.Detailsofactivitiesidentifiedby
theproponentandtheamount tobe invested forsocialdevelopment in thesurroundingarea
aregivenbelow:
Detailsofcommunitydevelopmentactivitiesalongwithbudgetandtimeline
S.No. Activities Expendituretobeincurredperyear(Rs.)
Firstfiveyears Nextfiveyears
a) Maintenanceoffoottrack 10000 10000
b) Contributionforreligiousactivities 8000 10000
c) Contributiontowardsschooldevelopment 10000 15000
d) Contributionforculturalactivities 5000 10000
e) Contributionforsportsactivities 10000 10000
f) Contributionforprovidingemployment 60000 80000
TOTAL 103000 135000
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
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PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
ENVIRONMENTALMANAGEMENTPLAN(EMP)
Proper environmental management plan are proposed for “Soapstone” mining project to
mitigatetheimpactduringtheminingoperation.
Dustmask,Goggleswillbeprovidedtotheworkersengagedatdustgenerationpoints
likeexcavations,loadingandunloadingpoints.
ThedustsuppressionmeasureslikewatersprayingwillbedoneonHandToolswillbe
involved for excavation and loading of mineral and overburden. These are not
overloaded.
Overloadingwill beprevented. Soapstonemineralwill be packed in 50kgbags& the
truckswillbecoveredbytarpaulincovers.
Inordertoreducethespreadofairpollutioninthesurroundings,plantationhasbeen
carriedoutaroundtheminesoffice,mineapproachroad,alongmineboundaryetc. to
controldustpollution.Greenbelt/plantationwillbefurtherenhancedtorestrictdust
emissionswithintheleaseboundary.
All the haulage roads in the area are kept wide, leveled, compacted and properly
maintained and water is sprayed regularly during the shift operation to prevent
generationoffugitivedustduetomovementofTrucks,andothervehicles.
Periodic air quality survey will be carried out to monitor the quality and for timely
correctiveactions.
Permanentstationsaremadeattheminesitetoconductregularmonitoring.
Ensuring Proper maintenance of all vehicles used for transportation, which help in
reducinggenerationofnoiseduringoperation.
Periodicalmonitoringofnoiselevelnearvicinityofoperatingminingandatsomeother
designatedlocationsisdonewiththehelpofnoiselevelmeterandresultsaresubmitted
torespectiveauthorities.
Thegreenbeltwillbedevelopedwhichwillminimizepropagationofnoise.
Garland drain alongwith siltation bundwill be provided around dumps to retain the
waterpercolationcomingfromwastedumpsforsettlingofsolidparticles.
Rainwater falling in the catchments area of mining pit is being collected in sump of
minesi.e.inlowerbenches.
No waste water generation is envisaged during the mining process. The domestic
sewagewillbedisposedthrougheco‐friendlymobiletoilet.
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
E‐18
PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
No toxicmaterial is encountered in thedeposit.Theminedrainage, ifany,willnotbe
harmfultothebioticlife.Adequatecontrolmeasureswillbeadoptedtochecknotonly
thewash‐offfromsoilerosionbutalsouncontrolledflowofminewater.
Thewastegeneratedduringtheproposedperiodisdumpatearmarkedsiteandsame
willbebackfilledinexcavatedareaattheendoflifeofmine
Retainingwallaroundthewaste/topsoildumpyardwillbeconstructingtoarrestthe
wasteandgarlanddrainismadetoflowofwater.
Thetopsoilwillbestackedandutilizedinplantationpurposewithintheleaseareapits
andforbackfilling.
Carewillbetakenthatnocooking,orburningofwoodswillbeallowedintheadjoining
area.
Priortomining,shortawarenessprogramwillbeconductedforlabourstomakethem
awaretowayofworking.
Ifsomecausalityorinjurytoanimaloccurs,itshouldbeinformedtoforestdepartment
andpropertreatmentshouldbegiven.
Notreecutting,chopping,lumbering,uprootingofshrubsandherbsshouldbeallowed.
Corridormovementofwildmammals(Ifexists)shouldbeavoided
ENVIRONMENTALMANAGEMENTPLANIMPLEMENTATION
Keeping the utility of monitoring results in the implementation of the environmental
managementprograminview,ateamwillbepreparedforproperimplementationofEMP.
Thesaidteamwillberesponsiblefor:
Collectingwaterandairsamplesfromsurroundingareaandworkzonemonitoringfor
pollutants.
Analyzingthewaterandairsamples.
Implementingthecontrolandprotectivemeasures.
Co‐coordinating the environment related activities within the project as well as with
outsideagencies.
Collectingstatisticsofhealthofworkersandpopulationofsurroundingvillages.
Monitoringtheprogressofimplementationofenvironmentalmanagementprogram.
Greenbeltdevelopment,etc.
A suitably equipped laboratory for sampling/testing for various environmental
pollutants.
SOAPSTONEMININGINVILLAGE–KANDATHARP,TEHSIL–KANDA,BAGESHWAR,UTTARAKHAND
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PROJECTPROPONENT–SMT.NANDITATIWARI EXECUTIVESUMMARY‐(ENGLISH)
BUDGETALLOCATIONFOREMPIMPLEMENTATION
S.No. Description Cost(inLacs/Annum)
1
AirQuality
0.2 a)Monitoringinthevicinityofthemine
b)Monitoringinthevicinityofthetransportationnetwork
c)Costofdustsuppression
2
WaterQuality
0.15a)Waterqualityofsurfaceandgroundwateraroundthesite
b) Drinking water must conform to drinking water
standards
3 AmbientNoiseLevel 0.05
4 SoilQuality 0.05
5 Socio‐economicconditionoflocal,population,physicalsurvey 0.05
6 Manpowercostforenvironmentalcell 0.5
TOTAL 1.0
CONCLUSION
All possible environment aspects have been adequately assessed and necessary control
measures have been formulated to meet statutory requirements. Thus implementing this
projectwillhavepositiveimpacts.