No.J-11015/779/2007-IA.II (M)
Government of
Ministry
of Environment and Forests
Paryavaran Bhawan
CGO Complex,
New Delhi-110 003
Dated the 16th
January, 2009
To
M/s
Orissa Mining Corporation Limited
OMC
House, P.O. Box-34,
Bhubaneshwar,
Orissa-751
001
E-mail:
dkpattanaik60@gmail.com
Subject: Mahaparbat Iron Ore
Mining Project of M/s The Orissa Mining Corporation Limited, located in Village
Unchabali, Tehsil Barbil,
District Keonjhar, Orissa- environmental
clearance regarding
Sir,
This has reference to your letter No.
12680/OMC/F&E/07 dated 13.06.2007 and subsequent letters dated 15.04.2008,
26.05.2008 and 08.08.2008 on the subject mentioned above. The proposal is for
opening of a new mine for production of 70,000tonnes per annum (0.07million
TPA) of iron ore. The total mine lease area of the project is 68ha, out of
which 0.1ha is an agricultural land, 67.43ha is wasteland and 0.47ha is surface
water bodies. No forestland is involved.
Area proposed for mining is 50.894ha, an area of 12.681ha is kept for green
belt and 4.425ha is others (untouched area). The
…2/-
level
for level for the Western Quarry is 571m AMSL, for the Eastern Quarry, the
ground level varies from 539m-605m AMSL, for the Southern Quarry, the ground
level varies from 700m-800m AMSL and for the Ichinda
Quarry, the ground level varies from 540m-558m AMSL. The ultimate working depth
will be 550m AMSL for the Western Quarry, 533m AMSL for the Eastern Quarry,
682m AMSL for the Southern quarry and 540m AMSL for the Ichinda
Quarry. The ground water table in the core zone is
reported to vary between 487m-500m AMSL. The mine working will not intersect
the ground water table. The peak water requirement of the project is estimated
as 66m3 per day, which will be sourced from the surface water and
the ground water. There is no
population in the core zone, therefore, displacement of population and R&R
is not involved. It is estimated
that 0.287million m3 of waste will be generated during the life of
the mine, which will be temporarily disposed off in a small external dump
occupying an area of 0.536ha and backfilling in the initial 5years will be
carried out in the Western Quarry. Later on it will be carried out in all the
quarries and there will be no external dump at the end of the mine life. Out of the total 50.894ha excavated area, an
area of 27.77ha will be backfilled, an area of of
6.224ha will be afforested and an area of 16.693ha will be developed as
water body during the post mining stage.
2. The
Ministry of Environment and Forests has examined the application in accordance
with the Section 12 of the EIA Notification, 2006 read with para
2.2.1(i) of the Circular No. J-11013/41/2006-IA.II(I) dated 13.10.2006 and hereby accords environmental
clearance under the provisions thereof to the above mentioned Mahaparbat Iron Ore Mining Project of M/s The Orissa
Mining Corporation Limited for an annual production capacity of
70,000tonnes (0.07million tonnes) of iron ore by opencast semi-mechanized method
involving total mining lease area of 68ha, subject to implementation of the
following conditions and environmental safeguards.
A.
Specific conditions
(i)
The project
proponent shall obtain fresh Consent to Establish from the State Pollution
Control Board, Orissa for production capacity of 70,000TPA and effectively
implement all the conditions stipulated therein.
…3/-
(ii)
The
environmental clearance is subject to approval of the State Landuse
Department, Government of Orissa for diversion of agricultural land for
non-agricultural use.
(iii)
The project proponent shall effectively address the
concerns raised by the locals in the public hearing as well as during
consideration of this project, while implementing this project
(iv)
The mining
operations shall be restricted to above ground water table and it should not
intersect the groundwater table. In case of working below the ground water
table, prior approval of the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the
Central Ground Water Authority shall be obtained, for which a detailed
hydro-geological study shall be carried out.
(v)
The project
proponent shall ensure that no natural watercourse and/or water resources are
obstructed due to any mining operations. Adequate measures shall be taken while
diverting seasonal streams, if any, during the course of mining operation. An
area of 0.47ha shown as water body within the mine lease shall be left
undisturbed.
(vi)
The top soil
shall temporarily be stored at earmarked site(s) only and it should not be kept
unutilized for long. The topsoil shall be used for land reclamation and
plantation.
(vii)
The over
burden (
(viii)
The voids left
unfilled in an area of 16.693ha shall
be converted into the water body. The higher benches of the excavated
void/mine pit shall be terraced and plantation done to stablise
the slopes. The slopes of higher benches shall be made gentler for easy
accessibility by the local people to use the water body. Peripheral fencing
shall be carried out all along the excavated area.
(ix)
Catch drains
and siltation ponds of appropriate size shall be constructed around the mine
working, mineral and temporary OB dumps to prevent run off of water and flow of
sediments directly into the
…4/-
Garland drains,
settling tanks and check dams of
appropriate size, gradient and length shall be constructed around the mine pit,
topsoil dump and temporary over burden dumps to prevent run off of water and flow of sediments
directly into the Baitarni
River and other water bodies and sump capacity shall be designed keeping 50%
safety margin over and above peak sudden rainfall (based on 50 years data) and
maximum discharge in the area adjoining the mine site. Sump capacity shall also
provide adequate retention period to allow proper settling of silt material.
Sedimentation pits shall be constructed at the corners of the garland drains
and desilted at regular intervals.
(x)
Dimension of
the retaining wall at the toe of the temporary
(xi)
Plantation
shall be raised in an area of 46.675ha including a 7.5m wide green belt in the
safety zone around the mining lease, backfilled
and reclaimed area, quarry benches, around water body, roads etc. by
planting the native species in consultation with the local DFO/Agriculture
Department. The density of the trees should be around 2500 plants per ha.
(xii)
Regular water
sprinkling shall be carried out in critical areas prone to air pollution and
having high levels of SPM and RSPM such as around crushing and screening plant,
loading and unloading point and all transfer points. Extensive water sprinkling
shall be carried out on haul roads. It shall be ensured that the Ambient Air
Quality parameters conform to the norms prescribed by the Central Pollution
Control Board in this regard.
(xiii)
The project
authority shall implement suitable conservation measures to augment ground
water resources in the area in consultation with the Regional Director, Central
Ground Water Board.
(xiv)
Regular
monitoring of ground water level and quality shall be carried out in and around
the mine lease by establishing a network of existing wells and constructing new
piezometers during the mining operation. The
monitoring should be carried out four times in a year – pre-monsoon
(April-May), monsoon (August), post-monsoon (November) and winter (January) and
the data thus collected shall be sent regularly to the Ministry of Environment
and Forests and its Regional Office, Bhubaneswar, the
Central Ground Water Authority and the Regional Director, Central Ground Water
Board. If at any stage, it is observed that the groundwater table is getting
depleted due to the mining activity, necessary
corrective measures shall be carried out.
(xv)
Appropriate mitigative measures shall be taken to prevent pollution of
the
…5/-
(xvi)
The project proponent shall obtain necessary prior permission of the competent
authorities for drawl of requisite quantity of water (surface
water and ground water, if any) required for the project.
(xvii)
Suitable
rainwater harvesting measures on long term basis shall be planned and
implemented in consultation with the Regional Director, Central Ground Water
Board.
(xviii)
Vehicular
emissions shall be kept under control and regularly monitored. Measures shall
be taken for maintenance of vehicles used in mining operations and in
transportation of mineral. The mineral transportation shall be carried out
through the covered trucks only and the vehicles carrying the mineral shall not
be overloaded. No transportation of ore
outside the mine lease area shall be carried out after the sunset.
(xix)
No blasting
shall be carried out after the sunset. Blasting operation shall be carried out
only during the daytime. Controlled blasting shall be practiced. The mitigative measures for control of ground vibrations and to
arrest fly rocks and boulders should be implemented.
(xx)
Drills shall
either be operated with dust extractors or equipped with water injection
system.
(xxi)
Mineral
handling area shall be provided with adequate number of high efficiency dust
extraction system. Loading and unloading areas including all the transfer
points should also have efficient dust control arrangements. These should be
properly maintained and operated.
(xxii)
Consent to
operate shall be obtained from the State Pollution Control Board prior to start
of production from the mine.
(xxiii)
Sewage
treatment plant shall be installed for the colony. ETP shall also be provided
for the workshop and wastewater generated during the mining operation.
(xxiv)
Land oustees and land losers/affected people, if any, shall be
compensated and rehabilitated as per the National Policy on Resettlement and
Rehabilitation of Project Affected Families.
(xxv)
Pre-placement
medical examination and periodical medical examination of the workers engaged
in the project shall be carried out and records maintained. For the purpose,
schedule of health examination of the workers should be drawn and followed
accordingly.
(xxvi)
The project
authorities should undertake sample survey to generate data on pre-project
community health status within a radius of 1 km from proposed mine.
…6/-
(xxvii)
Provision
shall be made for the housing of construction labour
within the site with all necessary infrastructure and facilities such as fuel
for cooking, mobile toilets, mobile STP, safe drinking water, medical health
care, crèche etc. The housing may be in the form of temporary structures to be
removed after the completion of the project.
(xxviii)
The project
proponent shall take all precautionary measures during mining operation for
conservation and protection of endangered fauna namely elephant etc. spotted in
the study area. Action plan for conservation of flora and fauna shall be
prepared and implemented in consultation with the
(xxix)
A Final Mine
Closure Plan along with details of Corpus Fund shall be submitted to the
Ministry of Environment & Forests 5 years in advance of final mine closure
for approval.
B. General conditions
(i)
No
change in mining technology and scope of working should be made without prior
approval of the Ministry of Environment & Forests.
(ii)
No
change in the calendar plan including excavation, quantum of mineral iron ore
and waste should be made.
(iii)
Alteast four ambient air quality-monitoring stations should be
established in the core zone as
well as in the
buffer zone for RSPM,
SPM, SO2 & NOx
monitoring. Location of the stations should be decided based on the
meteorological data, topographical features and environmentally and
ecologically sensitive targets and frequency of monitoring should be undertaken
in consultation with the State Pollution Control Board.
(iv)
Data
on ambient air quality (RSPM, SPM, SO2
& NOx) should be regularly submitted to the
Ministry of Environment and Forests including its Regional office located at
(v)
Fugitive
dust emissions from all the sources should be controlled regularly. Water
spraying arrangement on haul roads, loading and unloading and at transfer
points should be provided and properly maintained.
(vi)
Measures
should be taken for control of noise levels below 85 dBA
in the work environment. Workers engaged in operations of HEMM, etc. should be
provided with ear plugs / muffs.
…7/-
(vii)
Industrial
waste water (workshop and waste water from the mine) should be properly
collected, treated so as to conform to the standards prescribed under GSR 422 (E) dated 19th
May, 1993 and 31st December, 1993 or as amended from time to time.
Oil and grease trap should be installed before discharge of workshop effluents.
(viii) Personnel working in dusty areas
should wear protective respiratory devices and they should also be provided
with adequate training and information on safety and health aspects.
Occupational
health surveillance program of the workers should be undertaken periodically to
observe any contractions due to exposure to dust and take corrective measures,
if needed.
(ix)
A
separate environmental management cell with suitable qualified personnel should
be set-up under the control of a Senior Executive, who will report directly to
the Head of the Organization.
(x)
The
funds earmarked for environmental protection measures should be kept in
separate account and should not be diverted for other purpose. Year wise
expenditure should be reported to the Ministry of Environment and Forests and
its Regional Office located at
(xi)
The
project authorities should inform to the Regional Office located at
(xii)
The
Regional Office of this Ministry located at
(xiii) The project proponent shall submit
six monthly report on the status of the implementation
of the stipulated environmental safeguards to the Ministry of Environment and
Forests, its Regional Office,
(xiv) A copy of clearance letter shall
be marked to concerned Panchayat / local NGO, if any,
from whom suggestion / representation has been received, while processing the
proposal.
(xv)
The
State Pollution Control Board should display a copy of the clearance letter at
the Regional office, District Industry Centre and the Collector`s office/ Tehsildar`s Office for 30 days.
(xvi) The project authorities should
advertise at least in two local newspapers widely circulated, one of which
shall be in the vernacular language of the locality concerned, within 7days of
the issue of the clearance letter informing that the project has been accorded
environmental clearance and a copy of
the clearance letter is available with the State Pollution
Control Board and also at web site of the Ministry
of Environment and
…8/-
Forests at http://envfor.nic.in and a copy
of the same should be forwarded to the Regional Office of this Ministry located
at
3. The Ministry or any other competent
authority may alter/modify the above conditions or stipulate any further
condition in the interest of environment protection.
4. Failure to comply with any of the
conditions mentioned above may result in withdrawal of this clearance and
attract action under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
5. The above conditions will be enforced
inter-alia, under the provisions of the Water
(Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Air (Prevention &
Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and the
Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 along with their amendments and rules made
thereunder and also any other orders passed by the
Hon’ble Supreme Court of India/ High Court of Orissa and any other Court of Law
relating to the subject matter.
6. Any
appeal against this environmental clearance shall lie with the National Environment Appellate
Authority, if preferred within a period of
30 days, as prescribed under Section 11 of the National Environment
Appellate Authority Act, 1997.
(SATISH C. GARKOTI)
Additional Director (S)
Copy to:
(i)
The Secretary,
Ministry of Mines, Government of
(ii)
The Secretary,
Department of Environment, Government of Orissa, Secretariat,
(iii)
The Secretary,
Department of Mines and Geology, Government of Orissa, Secretariat,
(iv)
The Chief
Wildlife Warden, Government of Orissa,
(v)
The Chairman,
Central Pollution Control Board, Parivesh Bhawan,
CBD-cum-Office Complex,
(vi)
The Chief
Conservator of Forests, Regional Office (EZ), Ministry of Environment and Forests,
A-3 Chandrashekharpur, Bhubaneshwar-751023.
…9/-
(vii)
The Chairman,
(viii)
The Member
Secretary, Central Ground Water Authority, A2,
(ix)
The District
Collector, Keonjhar District, Government of Orissa.
(x)
EI Division,
Ministry of Environment & Forests, EI Division,
(xi)
Monitoring
File.
(xii)
Guard File.
(xiii)
Record File.
(SATISH C. GARKOTI)
Additional Director (S)