According to the International Iranian Stone Exhibition, access to water is one of the most important variables for the country's mines. Since water is needed in all stages of mining, especially in the processing stage; Therefore, the availability of water, recycling and water management is an important issue that should be considered by the country's miners.

Environmentalists believe that mining activity has a negative impact on the environment and causes serious problems in that area. For example, desulfurization is one of the most important steps in processing plants and can cause air pollution. Another problem is the acid in the effluent that flows from factories to wastewater dams and can contaminate groundwater. According to some environmentalists, unfortunately some mineral investors do not meet the standards and do not pay attention to the consequences of water that penetrates into the waste dams and eventually the land along with the acid.

How to manage disturbing waters, water recycling and reduce the mining consequences for water resources and the environment are among the topics of discussion with Faramarz Dolati Ardahejani, director of the Department of Mining and Environment at the University of Tehran and a bio-environmental hydrologist.

In general, what do mines need water for and how much water do they consume?

Many minerals need water to be processed, and in fact it can be said that mining without water does not make sense; As a result, most miners depend on this valuable resource to advance their plans. Meanwhile, the problem is that most of Iran's mines are located in arid and semi-arid regions with less water; Therefore, the presence of water in the mining sector is a necessary issue.

When a mineral is discovered, a group of people do water studies all the time so they can plan and start their own business. We may have mines in areas where it is not economical to supply water, so they close the mine. At present, mines operating in the country have wells near them to extract the water they need. Regarding the type of water used in mines, it is usually used for washing, cleaning, reducing dust, processing and crushing in the pit of the mine or factory.

What is meant by disturbing waters in the mine and what should be done with them?

In addition to the urgent need for water, there is water in the mine that is problematic and is called annoying water. Meanwhile, surface mines are gradually coming to an end, and in order to grow mining activity, we need to move deeper into the earth. Also, since technology and knowledge are advancing and the discovery of some underground minerals has become very important; As a result, the depth of mining is increasing day by day. Moving to the depths of the earth has gradually reduced the level of groundwater, because as the depth of the mine increases, the water that enters the mine from the groundwater can cause many problems.

In this way, somewhere water is recognized as an essential need of the mine and somewhere as a problem. When water collects in the mine, the transportation and transportation sector is in trouble, and the issue of controlling the pressure and collapse of the mine walls arises. Also, when water enters fire pits, miners are forced to use certain explosives that are waterproof, which greatly increases mining costs. As a result, mining is sometimes difficult with the presence of disturbing water.

What can be done to solve the problem of disturbing water in the mines?

Disturbing water poses serious problems for mining, but if we manage it properly, we can use the same water well for a variety of purposes. By managing the flow of this water, it should be prevented from entering the daily activities of the mine. However, water management in the country's mines is usually more regressive than mining. Unfortunately, we wait so long for the water to enter the mine, and we just think of a solution when we see the problem.

Since there is little water in most mines, we have to collect them at the bottom of each mining floor and pump them alternately (depending on the amount of water) once every two weeks and out of the mine; Therefore, given that our country is facing a water crisis, if we can manage the disturbing waters in the mining areas, we can take effective steps towards sustainable development.

How to manage water-rich mines?

If the water entering the mine is very high, we must first identify the aquifer by various geophysical methods, then drill vertical wells in areas prone to outside the mine pit to extract water and bring it to the surface, and for that matter. Use different mining. In the meantime, if the water is of good quality (like the water used in sand mines and building rocks), we need to purify it. Of course, this is not the case in copper mines, as most sulfide minerals produce acid and reduce water quality. In addition, acid washes away various metals and increases the concentration of water; As a result, water treatment is very difficult and typically untreated water is unusable. Of course, acidic water can be used to control dust.

Is it true that mines destroy groundwater?

No, I do not agree with that. Mining has no conflict with environmental protection and water resources, as long as we avoid traditional methods. If mining is done for sustainable development and in the form of green mining, it can provide an opportunity for regional growth. Green mining means not harming the environment while we are doing mining. Instead of letting go of the water, turn it over and use it again. Currently, environmental groups are very active in the world. Before starting mining, they study various issues such as groundwater, the environment, post-mining reconstruction, mine abandonment, water treatment, and so on. In our country, part of the mineral income must be spent for this purpose.

How can the consequences of mining in the living environment be reduced?

If mining is principled and the miner fulfills his obligations properly, we can minimize the consequences. In the "after mining" section, we should also think about reconstruction in the mine. The Mining Reconstruction Act states that the pace of mining progress must be equal to the rate of reconstruction. This means that if we destroy land and extract minerals, we must be able to fill in the gaps. Before the machinery enters the mining activity and we damage the soil of that area, we have to collect the vegetation and deposit it somewhere else, and after mining, the vegetation and soil cover will return to the area.

There are rare waste in the mines that may not be available with current technology; So most miners bury them in the corner so they can use them for the next fifty years. These wastes are exposed to erosion due to contact with oxygen in the air and the flow of water and wind, and can be harmful to the environment. In the meantime, we can manage them well by lowering the slope of the mounds, creating ramps and planting plants on them so that both water and oxygen can penetrate them and not pollute the inside of the dumps, as well as erosion. Prevent more soil.