Environment
Ayodele Owolabi; Olumuyiwa Temidayo Ogunro; Gbenga Stephen Ayode
Abstract
Sustainable development is one that meets the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The geospatial approach was used to evaluate the degree of sustainability of the mining operations in Okpella, Nigeria. 2011, 2016, and 2021. Normalized ...
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Sustainable development is one that meets the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The geospatial approach was used to evaluate the degree of sustainability of the mining operations in Okpella, Nigeria. 2011, 2016, and 2021. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) revealed mean values of 0.36557, 0.32961, and 0.41674, respectively. This vegetation cover of shrubs, grassland, and relatively healthy vegetation remained after the mining activities in the research area. The surface water in the area is under stress due to the anthropogenic activities like mining, which is known to demand large amounts of water for mineral recovery and processing. Additionally, the Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI) revealed that the mean values for the years 2011, 2016, and 2021 were, respectively, 0.01415, -0.32949, and -0.15331. The research area's NDMI showed little water stress. The Soil Moisture Index (SMI) for 2011, 2016, and 2021 indicated a moderate moisture content in the soil (0.73682, 0.58690, and 0.58897, respectively). The Land Surface Temperature (LST) data revealed that the LST levels (from 28.623 oC to 32.525 oC) had been rising. During the three years under study, aquatic bodies had the lowest LST values, whereas bare land and populated regions had the greatest LST values. According to the results of the NDVI, NDMI, and MNDWI investigations, this increase was caused by the intermediate vegetation levels and extremely low surface water. It is necessary to develop an environmental policy to mitigate the negative consequences of mining on land covers.
Environment
Ayodele Owolabi; Sunday Olabisi Daramola
Abstract
Nigeria is abundantly blessed with solid mineral resources such as copper, gold, and tantalite, which are essential for the economic growth of the country. The extraction of these mineral resources comes with the generation of huge amount of waste. This study examines the possibility of utilizing some ...
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Nigeria is abundantly blessed with solid mineral resources such as copper, gold, and tantalite, which are essential for the economic growth of the country. The extraction of these mineral resources comes with the generation of huge amount of waste. This study examines the possibility of utilizing some mine wastes from Jos, Nigeria, in embankment construction by subjecting them to relevant laboratory geotechnical experiments. The results indicates that the overburden materials contain clay-sized fraction ranging 5-20%, while the sand fraction ranged 42-82%, which is an indication of the predominance of sand size particles. On the other hand, the clay-sized particles in the tailings range 5-21%, while the sand fractions range 65-80%. The overburden materials recorded liquid limit values ranging 26-48% and plasticity index ranging 6.3-21%, while the liquid limit and plasticity index of the tailings range 23-32.8% and 6.2-11.6%, respectively. The maximum dry density (MDD) and optimum moisture content (OMC) of the overburden materials vary 1.84-1.98 mg/m3 and 1.4-17.2%, respectively, with an average of 1.89 mg/cm3 and 16%. On the other hand, the tailings recorded MDD ranging 1.88-2.06 mg/m3 with their OMC ranging 14.4-16% with an average 14.86%. The soaked California bearing ratio (CBR) of the overburden materials range 27-32%, while that of tailings ranges 25-32%. The geotechnical evaluation of the overburden materials and tailings reveals that most of the materials are suitable for embankment construction. However, the high linear shrinkage of some wastes renders them unsuitable.
A. Owolabi
Abstract
In this paper, we report a geospatial assessment of the selected mine sites in the Plateau State, Nigeria. The aim of this work is to determine the impact of mining on the terrain as well as the Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) of the host communities. The Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) is used for ...
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In this paper, we report a geospatial assessment of the selected mine sites in the Plateau State, Nigeria. The aim of this work is to determine the impact of mining on the terrain as well as the Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) of the host communities. The Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) is used for the terrain mapping. The derived impact of mining on LULC between 1975 and 2014 is determined by classifying the relevant Landsat imageries. The digital terrain map reveal that the mining activity is not well-coordinated. Hence, the parts of the mine sites that are rich in the desired minerals are punctuated with low depth, while the other parts have high terrain as a result of the haphazard mining activity. The analysis of the LULC change show that the degraded land (DL), built-up area (BU), water bodies (WB), and exposed rock outcrop (RO) increase by 15.68%, 4.68%, 0.06%, and 14.5%, respectively, whereas the arable farmland (FL) and forest reserve (FR) decrease by 28.29% and 6.63%, respectively. Mining has adversely affected the natural ecology of the studied area. Therefore, the mine sites should be monitored, and their environmental damages should be pre-determined and mitigated. There should be regular inspections to keep these activities under control. The existing laws and regulations to conserve the natural ecosystems of the host communities should be enforced to curtail the excesses of the operators of the mining industries. Restoration of the minefields to reduce the existing hazards prevent further environmental degradation, and facilitating the socio-economic development of the area is also suggested.
A.O. Owolabi
Abstract
The vulnerability of water bodies to contamination within the neighbourhood of open mine cast environ cannot be overemphasized. Evidence of radioactive trace elements associated with the target minerals in the Plateau State (Nigeria) showed the extent of this vulnerability. In order to address this challenge, ...
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The vulnerability of water bodies to contamination within the neighbourhood of open mine cast environ cannot be overemphasized. Evidence of radioactive trace elements associated with the target minerals in the Plateau State (Nigeria) showed the extent of this vulnerability. In order to address this challenge, the radioactivity levels of water samples from mine ponds, streams, wells, and boreholes around mine sites in the Plateau State were assessed. The water samples were analysed for gross alpha and beta radiation activities using MPC 2000 radiation counter in accordance with the provisions of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT) Zaria. The mean alpha radiation activity dose for the water samples collected from mine ponds, streams, wells, and boreholes was 0.63 + 0.1 Bq/l, 0.13 + 0.1 Bq/l, 0.34 + 0.1 Bq/l, and 0.51 + 0.2 Bq/l, respectively. The mean beta radiation activity dose for the water samples collected from mine ponds, streams, wells and boreholes was 4.1 + 1.8 Bq/l, 1.0 + 0.7Bq/l, 2.4 + 1.9 Bq/l, and 2.7 + 1.3 Bq/l, respectively. The water bodies were unwholesome for human consumption. The present use of water from the mine ponds for irrigation should be discontinued. The specific activities of alpha and beta radiations in the water samples decreased as distance from the mine increased. It is, therefore, clear that the mine sites were the sources of the high radiation values recorded in the water sources.
