The potential for land erosion due to primary tin mining in Bangka Island

Abstract

In the context of primary tin mining by PT. Timah on the Bangka Island, an analysis of environmental impacts is needed concerning various related aspects. One of the potential impacts that need to be considered is erosion due to open land for mining activities. Rain and mining water triggers the process of erosion on open land with particular soil and topographic characteristics. This paper presents an analysis of the potential for erosion due to primary tin mining at five mining locations in Bangka Island. The soil erosion rate can be analyzed using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and GIS. The environmental data used to predict the erosion rate include soil type, soil texture and structure, land cover, rainfall, slope, and soil management techniques. In this study, rainfall erosivity is taking into account based on average monthly rainfall from 2010-2019. The results showed that the erosion rates at the primary mining sites are relatively low, ranging from 4.72 to 683.47 tons/ha/year. The results showed that the erosion rate is more influenced by the topography (slope factor). Besides, the considerable land-use change will also contribute significantly to the amount of soil erosion.