CEE Jan-Mar 2012

Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, Pune, in Maharashtra passed resolutions calling for all future buildings to be Griha– compliant. Also, the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) has announced that Griha-certified projects will receive a preferred Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which can be a mandatory requirement of all building projects more than 20,000 sq.m. The Andhra government of Pradesh has announced a rebate of 10 per cent in property tax on use of solar heating and lighting system, on recycling of waste water and rain harvesting. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority has introduced many national incentives (like institution of awards capital subsidy for SPV installations) and local incentives. Courtesy: Konstruction Review, No v. 14, 2011, PB. 1 t.& ur.,£m lnrilnn PMiiifon dl I he 20 I 0 World &po a: Sh<:nglia: W•l'l Is green durne WAYS FOR SAFER MINING J.S. Sibal Former DG of Mines Safety The reddish hills dot large tracts on the Goan landscape by mounds of waste soil and other debri s that have been left behind after iron ore was dug out from some mines. Accumulating since the 1960s, the dumps, as they are known , are estimated at 750 million tonnes and consists of top soil, mud and iron ore. With little having been done to clean them up in 50 years, the dumps are said to pose a serious environmental hazard. But a technical point of view has been lost in the debate that has focused mainly on the political and social fallout of illegal mining. This is missing link is criti cal. Traditionally, Goa has been home to low-grade in nature, and unsuitable for domestic consumption . It has therefore commanded a far lower price in the international market for close to 50 years. Considering, only the best quality of ore mined could be sold , there has been a growing stockpile of sub-grade ores, laterite and clay overburden , which has been accumulated for many years and was lying unutilized due to no economic value' with no takers. Mines stacked such waste generally outside leasehold areas and sometimes closer to the pi ts, with due approvals as it was operationally unwise, unsafe, unlawful to stack it on ore bearing areas closer to pits. However, it is pertinent to note that the Chinese boom in mid-2000s, changed the whole scenario where the demand of iron ore forced steelmakers there to find ways to use low grade iron ore. This development brought a unique opportunity for Goa mine owners. Low-grade hematite ores in Goa can be used best when they are blended with high– grade magnetite concentrate. But that is not available in India, whereas, it is available plenty in China. Naturally, mine owners in India scouted around to find buyers for the otherwise– unusable stock-piles in their areas. This is the reason behind the current hue and cry on low– grade ore sales from the dumps. Financial benefits notwithstanding, removal of these dumps that have existed anywhere between 20 and 40 years can only have a positive impact. Some of the benefits include reducing the extent of environmental damage, lowering the need for additional dumping areas, accessibility to safe mining operations and furthering the vision of zero-waste mining. It shou ld be noted that the removal and economic use of old stockpiled waste or low– grade ore needs to be done till such time that the opportunity 76