(BN4420)- The Kalahari Manganese Field (KMF)

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In this assessment we will discuss about the kalahari manganese field and below are the summaries point:- The Kalahari Manganese Field underwent an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process to obtain a permit for mining. The EIA process involved a screening stage to determine if an EIA was required and a scoping stage to gather relevant information. The purpose of the EIA process is to ensure decision-makers consider environmental factors when making decisions about projects.

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The Kalahari Manganese Field 1
The Kalahari Manganese Field (KMF)
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Institution
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Introduction
Environmental assessment (EA) determines the environmental repercussions of
a strategy, policy, or program. It might also be actual programs in progress when the
decision to take the suggested action was made (Yıldız, 2021, p5). "Environmental
impact assessment" (EIA) relates to actual initiatives conducted by people or
corporations, while "strategic environmental assessment" (SEA) refers to government-
proposed policies, plans, and programs. It's an environmental management tool that
helps with project approval and decision-making.
They are the legal steps the KR must have taken to get the permission. The
evaluation assists guarantee that decision-makers consider environmental factors while
making choices. These are the decisions on whether or not to pursue a project forward.
The mitigation components include the biophysical, sociological, and other associated
implications of making plans before critical choices and commitments ".They differ
because policymakers are not required to follow a predetermined outcome of the
environment but rather to account for principles of the environment and explain those
decisions in light of accurate environmental evaluation and public feedback on potential
impacts on the environment.
1. EIA Process for Acquiring Mining Permit to Extract Manganese.
A permit from the EIA was required before mining processes at the Kalahari
Resource could begin. They are explained in the sequence they were implemented. EIA
process through which Kalahari Resources gained its permit from the local authorities to
extract manganese (KR, 2006, p78). Obtaining this permission followed a set of detailed
steps in the following section.
Screening Stage
The screening was a procedure that occurred throughout the design and
planning of the project phases. The screening stage is the first stage in the EI process
where Kalahari Resources Ltd decides if it requires EIA. In Kalahari Resources, the EIA
and the assessment level were required and determined during the screening. This
phase allowed the discovery of potential' showstoppers' flaws like insufficient scientific,
technical data, insufficient funding, or legal approvals, such as Kalahari Resources Ltd
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The Kalahari Manganese Field 3
land use rights. This stage implemented critical EIA process corrective actions, such as
collecting missing data, which is crucial for making informed decisions in Kalahari
Resources (Pty) Ltd.
The threshold criteria for an EIA requirement differed by company; in Kalahari
Resources Ltd, regulations specify which activities or projects needed an EIA, while
others mandate an EIA for every project that has the potential to have a significant
environmental impact or that exceeds a specific monetary value. (Kalahari EIA Report,
2007 p21). In Kalahari Resources Ltd, a preliminary environmental assessment was
conducted to establish if the project deserved an EIA, especially when the potential
consequences were unclear for the project.
Scoping Stage
To assure productivity and effectiveness, conducting an environmental
assessment was vital in Kalahari Resources Ltd. It entailed gathering as much
information as possible from all angles and focusing on the essential topics appropriate
to the specific action. The legislation highlighted several appropriate considerations that
needed to be considered throughout the EIA process of Kalahari Resources Ltd. During
this phase, the EIA through Kalahari Resources Ltd was computed by identifying
concerns that needed to be addressed and examining the solutions. When it was scope,
it was common to consult with all interested parties affected by the company. The
proposed project and its substitute were spelled out to Kalahari Resources Ltd, I&APs,
who are advised to comment on the concerns addressed and their substitute. One of
the most critical consequences of discussions with I&APs was a better grasp of the
primary concerns and options needed to be examined further in the EIA. Any question
or an issue that was unanswered about the potential development of the proposal's
economic, social or ecological consequences or any influencing issue on its choice was
fundamental to the company.
The Study Phase for Specialist
Throughout the EIA assessment process, studies for specialists were produced;
however, specialist studies were required during the scoping or screening stage of
Kalahari Resources Ltd. The Kalahari Resources Ltd had experts in botanists,
economists, and geologists, who were tasked with resolving crucial concerns identified
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during the scoping stage of the EIA. Their objective was to estimate modifications
expected due to its project proposal and analogs, analyze possible repercussions for
the socio-economic and environmental climate, and recommend methods to increase
positive results while avoiding or limiting harmful effects.
Assessment and Integration Stage
In this stage of the EIA, the Kalahari Resources Ltd expert studies' conclusions
were coupled with relevant information and compiled into an Environmental Impact
Assessment Report (EIAR). This depended on the evaluation level required; this was a
Report of a Simple Evaluation of an Ecological Impact. After implementing the proposed
project's mitigation, the EIAR through Kalahari Resources Ltd outlined the remaining
consequences. In this stage, the Kalahari Resources Ltd I&APs were given a chance to
provide feedback and assessments in response to their concerns. This phase aimed to
collect data that assist in making an educated project choice, that is, under which
circumstances were continued with the project or not to continue. Such information was
conveyed clearly, and intelligible to the authorities, a proponent of the project, and the
affected parties' concerns.
Public Participation
The principle of public involvement underpinned EIA. The EIA project's
participation of impacted and interested parties guaranteed that the process was free,
transparent, and rigorous. In Kalahari Resources (Pty) Ltd, the project promoters were
able to assess the facts, community concerns, and values and, if necessary, revise the
plan to satisfy these issues. Public engagement in Kalahari Resources Ltd improved
decision-making transparency and accountability, making it more inclusive, equitable,
and informed, resulting in better environmental results.
Reviewing Authority and Making Decisions
The completed report of EIA is delivered to the competent regulatory
organization of Western Cape, the Development Planning & Environmental Affairs
Department & and the Mineral Resources Department. They assessed the report to
establish whether the presented information regarding Kalahari Resources Ltd was
adequate to make informed decisions. Second, the regulator granted or refused
environmental permission after determining that the evidence supplied was adequate.

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This judgment was appealed by an I&AP member of I&APs, including the design
developer. The application decision said whether the proposed Kalahari Resources'
environmental approval was granted or rejected. If approved, the environmental
permission was to specify which option was selected and why the permit's restrictions.
EIA Decision Implementation
At its core, EIA through Kalahari Resources was about comprehensive
management of the environment, and its outcomes followed environmental
management solutions presented throughout the assessment process. As a result, the
actual output was the production of a Program on Environmental Management (EMPr)
suggested for execution by the state in the environmental authorization.
An empire was a program that outlined environmental management goals, the
processes required to achieve the goals, and the roles and responsibilities of monitoring
and reporting in Kalahari Resources Ltd.
2. Environmental Aspects
In ISO 14001:2015, an environmental aspect was a component of an organization's
operations, goods, or services that does or does not influence the environment. It is
advised that the mining design an Environmental Management System following
ISO14001. The mining should strive for ISO14001 certification to ensure that
manganese mining aspects impact the environment positively.
The seepage of sinks from the slimes dam through the aquifer by the Kalahari
Resources Ltd leads to groundwater pollution. The containment plume for Kalahari
Resource Ltd moved 400 meters in 20 years, seeping into the geology underneath the
tailings dam at a pace of 10-3 meters per day, causing water pollution. The levels of
seepage were established by employing geotechnical studies and leachate testing on
the tailings material to identify the composition of the likely seepage to mitigate water
pollution (KR, 2006, p185). Furthermore, dewatering occurred due to the mine
development, resulting in a decline in groundwater levels. The water level decreased
between 7 and 25 meters around the dip, impacting the reduction of the borehole's
water levels. Yet, the water was used for household water supply and cattle watering.
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Disturbances to the higher soil layers, loss of plant cover, and an increase in
gradient exposed extremely dispersive B-horizons, which caused soil erosion.
Furthermore, soil exposure hastened wind erosion of tiny sandy particles in a location
already prone to wind erosion. Anaerobic conditions arise in topsoil heaps with depths
of more than two meters, resulting in a decline in aerobic microbial activity (KR, 2006,
p205). As a consequence of motor traffic, significant soil compaction developed.
Moreover, litter and gasoline leaks lead to pollution due to the operation's activities.
Earthmoving trucks, generators, batching plants, and other equipment are transported
to the job site during construction. This fuel/oil seeped into the region's soils, influencing
the ecosystem. Litter was unavoidable when people worked on a construction site.
The construction of roads, power plants, lodging, and other required
infrastructure and clearing of vegetation/habitat for building camps, temporary
roadways, spoil areas, materials storage, and topsoil stockpiling contributed to the
decline of medium-functioning vegetation. On-site construction of Kalahari Resources
Ltd limited the natural habitat needed for biological processes to function. Following
these disturbance events, it is unlikely that regions with high ecological function would
recover. In addition, delicate species were likely to be wiped out during the
development's building and operating stages. Due to construction, many species were
harmed, and a rise in human activity led to an unregulated and unsustainable collection
of sensitive/medicinal herbs.
Land clearance, removal of topsoil, road grading, bulldozing, loading of materials
and trucking, stockpiling, shaft sinking, grading, and compaction were among the
activities that were all carried out throughout the construction phase. Each of these
activities had its own time and dust production potential. As a result, it was expected
that the amount of dust emitted fluctuated significantly from day to day, depending on
the degree of activity, the individual activities, and the weather conditions. Unlike most
fugitive dust sources, where emissions were generally constant or followed a
recognizable yearly cycle, this one was not. Simulators were used to assess the
possibility of building operations at the Kalahari Manganese Mine to influence the
surrounding human health and the environment. Wet suppression quickly attained 60%
or more (KR, 2006, p264). Chemical surfactants helped to achieve higher control
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efficiency. The principal pollutant of relevance from building operations was particulates,
modeled in suspended inhalable particles (PM10) quantities and dust fallout levels.
3. Reducing Environmental Impacts.
The KMF's initiatives for reducing the negative environmental implications of
mining were evaluated in light of mining policies that encouraged long-term mining
sustainability. These objectives and target tactics were applied to manganese mining in
Kalahari Resources Ltd.
i. Reduction of Inputs
The Kalahari Recourses Ltd industry needed land and water to operate. Ensuring
that the impact of the mining activity was minimal as possible was necessary.
Therefore, Kalahari Resources Ltd aimed to shift freshwater or pumping water from the
ground to diminish the amount and water quality available downstream for marine
ecosystems.
ii. Reduce output
The Kalahari Resource Ltd produces various products, including waste, particles
from the air, and mining; these substances have different chemical compositions and
pollute the environment. Thus, Kalahari Resource Ltd required waste management
strategies to avoid soil, water, and air contamination. These targets also included safe
storage facilities for storing vast amounts of trash generated from Kalahari Resources
Ltd. (Moran et al., 2014).
iii. Proper waste disposal
Solid waste management was crucial to decreasing the environmental
consequences of Kalahari Resource Ltd. some mining firms do not dispose of their
trash according to regulations (Mudd, 2010, p112). Kalahari Resource Ltd invested in
the technology of waste-to-reusable and regulations that encouraged trash disposal that
was more ecologically friendly. Water from mines was repurposed as treated effluent for
equipment cleaning. Kalahari Resource Ltd recycled or reused the same liquid as
feasible and ensured that all wastewater was disposed of ethically and responsibly.
iv. Alternative Source of Energy
KMF was considering alternative energy sources such as wind or power terms
energy. By reducing energy usage, a mine reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and

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The Kalahari Manganese Field 8
prolonged the life of oil and gas assets. Thus, Kalahari Resource Ltd reduced
manufacturing costs and dramatically cut the commodity's worth. Kalahari Resource Ltd
considered using environmentally friendly equipment that produced fewer gasses. Many
advanced modern machines, for instance, those supplied by Plant Services of Babcock,
were designed to be environmentally friendly. KMF ensured that cleaner production
technologies and environmental control advances were employed in Kalahari
Resources Ltd.
v. Cracked Down on Illegal Mines
The majority of mining enterprises in the developed world are entirely lawful and
have received the necessary governmental permissions. Many people in undeveloped
nations, however, are not. Illegal mining is a major problem all around the globe,
wreaking havoc on ecosystems. Any Miners operating outside of regulatory frameworks
are significantly less likely to be environmentally conscious. KMF helped safeguard
themselves by refusing to buy from miners who do not use proper procedures. Through
KMF, Kalahari Resources Ltd reported industry groups or suppliers who seem involved
in unethical mining activities, prohibiting other firms from doing so.
Due to the above environmental aspects, the KMF has put forth an
environmental program to reduce the environmental impacts through the Kalahari
Resources Ltd. These programs include solid waste management, green purchasing,
energy management, wastewater, and educational programs.
i. Solid Waste Management Program.
The debris and rocky solid particle that Kalahari Resource Ltd left after
undertaking the mining process, KMF ensured that all solid waste materials were
identified, collected, classified, recycled, transported, treated, or safely disposed of
through this program. The disposal process ensures that it protects the environment
and human health. Moreover, the Kalahari Resource Ltd maximized the material
quantity directed from landfills by either reusing, recycling, or quantity usage reduction
as the primary objective (Kalahari Report, 2006, 282).
ii. Soil Program
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This program aimed to ensure the suitability of soil landform units for mining
activities. (KR,2006, 282). The KMF put measures that no building within 1.5 kilometers
of the Ga-Mogara River reduced the transformation's environmental impact. Planting
native vegetation as possible on the construction site was another measure. When it
came to transforming natural habitats, the quality of the habitat (depending on the
availability of microhabitats) was considered. Habitats of the greatest quality were
preserved and incorporated as many protected trees as feasible in the design process.
iii. Energy Management Program
This program sought to reduce fuel consumption associated with Kalahari
Resources mining Ltd. KMF set legally enforceable objectives for the uptake of
renewable carbon and energy-neutral technology at an unprecedented rate. The
company focused on the energy revolution to net-zero carbon. The demand for raw
materials connected with this new technology was expected to skyrocket to support the
political and popular change in energy consumption. One of the carbon-free energies
that the company should use is Hydropower energy.
iv. Waste Water Program
This program reduced the chances of pollutants reaching the sanitary sewage
system by implementing suitable pretreatment, source reduction, proper chemical
disposal, and other wastewater management activities. Mining required a lot of water,
and at the same time, wastewater was released into the environment. KMF wastewater
treatment program ensured that it was treated before reaching the sanitary sewage
system.
v. Visual Impact Program
The program aimed to enable visualization of the land surface. After mining had
occurred, the vegetation cover of the surrounding environment created a 3 to 5 m tall
vegetation screen. Infrastructure was constructed to maximize the vegetation's natural
screening capabilities. When possible, buildings and other auxiliary infrastructure were
kept to a maximum altitude of five meters, including the top of the roof pitch. Wherever
possible, infrastructure that extended beyond the level of the vegetation was immersed
in the ground to limit overall projecting beyond the height of the plant (Farjana, Shahjadi
Hisan, 2019).
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References
Becerril, Facundo; Juárez-Vázquez, Lucía V.; Hernández-Cervantes, Saúl C.; et al.
(2012): „Impacts of manganese mining activity on the environment: Interactions
among soil, plants, and arbuscular mycorrhiza “. In: Archives of Environmental
Contamination and Toxicology. 64 (2), pp. 219–227, DOI: 10.1007/s00244-012-
9827-7.
De Witt, et al. (2019). Biodiversity offsets in EIA: Getting the timing right ".In:
Environmental Impact Assessment Review. 75, pp. 1–12, DOI:
10.1016/j.eiar.2018.11.001.
Farjana, Shahjadi Hisan; Huda, Nazmul; Mahmud, M.A. Parvez; et al. (2019): "A global
life cycle assessment of manganese mining processes based on Ecoinvent
Database. "In Science of The Total Environment. 688, pp. 1102–1111, DOI:
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.184.
Moran, C.J.; Lodhia, S.; Kunz, N.C.; et al. (2014): Sustainability in mining, Minerals, and
Energy: New Processes, pathways and human interactions for a cautiously
optimistic future ".In: Journal of Cleaner Production. 84, pp. 1–15, DOI:
10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.09.016.
Mudd, Gavin M. (2010): "The environmental Sustainability of mining in Australia: Key
mega-trends and looming constraints. "In Resources Policy. 35 (2), pp. 98–115,
DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2009.12.001.
Strategic Environmental Focus (PTY) LTD, 2007. Final Environmental Impact
Assessment for the Proposed Kalahari Manganese Mine Northern Cape
Province [WWW Document]. URL
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https://www.agaportal.de/_Resources/Persistent/3e440701397c5678c82aa1ce94
b8e97f3283b7de/eia_sue dafrika_sinteranlage.pdf
Yıldız, Taşkın Deniz (2021): "How can the effects of EIA procedures and legislation
foreseen for the mining operation activities to mining change positively in
Turkey? ".In: Resources Policy. 72, p. 102018, DOI:
10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102018.
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Poster on EIA process of Kalahari Resources.
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