Impact of mining on environment in Goa: A review

Abstract

Among all the activities, mining appears to be one of the most degrading actions of man on earth. Modern industrial, economic and commercial activity depends a lot on the exploitation and consumption of minerals. The process of extraction of mineral resources and its use in various ways generate a wide range of environmental changes sometimes having far reaching consequences. Similarly, the rapid strides in exploration of mineral resources, to cope with the ever increasing demand intensified the mining activity in Goa which still forms the backbone of state's economy. Mining must inevitably cause disturbance to land, and to the soil and plants which clothe it. Mining implies selection, which in turn implies the reiection of waste, and the very process of selectino will cause an impact on environment. It is noticed that the mining industry in Goa caused immense ecological damage only due to improper planning. As demands for minerals grow, the area of mining would expand at a faster rate, threatening increasingly larger areas of landscape with scarification, debris dumps, soil degradation, with widening circle of deforestation and distress to the population affected.