Impact of Stone Mining on Community/Public Health and Safety Measures

That mining as an industrial activity puts enormous negative pressure on the environment as well as increases pollutant generation is time proven. Similarly, it is also well established that occupational exposure to those working in the mines comes with a host of ailments ranging from respiratory illnesses, skin ailments, noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), etc. over a period of time. However, it is imperative to realize that even if not immediate and acute, exposure to stone mining also affects the community residing in its vicinity by eroding their quality of life or sometimes by even bringing about chronic ailments. Operations such as blasting of boulders, crushing, hauling, and dumping which are associated with stone mining are known to generate particulate matter. Tippers and dumpers employed for transportation emit a significant amount of diesel particulate matter as well. Particulate matters travel great distances as they tend to stay suspended in air over a prolonged period, thereby causing erosion in air quality as well as exposing the community nearby to microscopic particulate matter which is a carrier for many other pollutants. Research has pointed toward occurrence of emphysema, asthma, COPD, and worsening lung function parameters in communities residing near active as well as abandoned stone mines. Increased ambient noise levels as a result of incessant mechanization, property damage as a result of vibrations from blasting activities, untreated and sometimes improperly disposed mined waste, etc. are some indeterminable casualties inflicted on settlements near the vicinity of the mines. Ultimately, a compromised socioeconomic status means that those who reside in these settlements adjust and suffer with their declining quality of life. However, this does not absolve the mine management or the government from enforcing implementation of safety measures such as proper waste disposal, well-delineated buffer zones, plantations, etc. for maintaining the standard of living that an individual is entitled to.