Small-scale Mining Activities Research Articles

Modelling Mercury Dynamics in Soils Impacted by Mercury Emission from Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Activities

ABSTRACT Soil systems are commonly regarded as receptors of anthropogenic mercury contamination and play an essential role in the containment or dispersion of pollution to surface water, groundwater and the atmosphere. Mercury fate and transport are simulated using a local scale model to evaluate mercury dynamics in a soil system impacted by anthropogenic mercury pollution from artisanal and small-scale gold mining. The model assumes first-order differential equations that describe losses principally by evasion and leaching simulated on a yearly time step from thirty years ago to the present and into the future, where two different scenarios are considered. The model predicts that topsoil mercury concentrations may more than double in the next 50 years. Soil mercury is currently a source of mercury to the atmosphere and water but the leaching flux is less than the evasion flux. The soil would accumulate mercury until emission is curtailed and may require more than 500 years for levels to decrease to background values. If current emission rates are maintained, mercury contents of contaminated soil will keep increasing and will reach levels that poses risk to ecological and human health.

Health Screening Strategies for Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners for Tuberculosis, Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Silicosis: A Case of the USAID-Supported Kunda Nqob'iTB Project in Zimbabwe.

Artisanal and small-scale mining is characterized by excessive exposure to physical, chemical, ergonomic, psychosocial and biological hazards. There is a high burden of tuberculosis (TB), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections and silicosis among artisanal and small-scale miners (ASMs). The aim of this project report is to describe lessons learned from strategies implemented to reach ASMs with screening services for TB, HIV and silicosis in Zimbabwe through the Kunda-Nqob'i TB (KNTB) project supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The intervention package for screening ASMs for TB, HIV and silicosis included service provision through two occupational health clinics at two provincial hospitals and a mobile workplace-based screening (WBS) facility at the mining sites. From 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2023, 10,668 ASMs were screened, with a high number of cases of silicosis (21%) and TB (7.4%). There was a high burden of HIV (30%) in ASMs attending the occupational health clinics. The two occupational health clinics screened 3453 ASMs, while the mobile WBS activities screened 7215 ASMs during the period. A total of 370 healthcare workers (doctors/clinical officers, nurses, environmental health technicians and district tuberculosis and Leprosy control officers) were trained on TB and the fundamental diagnostic principles of silicosis. The KNTB project has been successful in reaching out to many ASMs operating in remote and hard-to-reach mining areas. The KNTB project has brought to light the positive health-seeking behavior of ASMs operating in remote areas. The project has brought to the fore the effectiveness of multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration in reaching out to ASMs in remote areas with health screening services. There is a high burden of TB, HIV and silicosis in ASMs. Screening for TB, HIV and silicosis using workplace-based screening and occupational health clinics is an effective strategy and should be rolled out to all areas with high artisanal and small-scale mining activity.

A responsible mining approach to the economic modeling of small-scale gold mining

Artisanal mining, known as “garimpo” in Brazil, is a legal activity predicted in the Brazilian mining code. However, society's concern over the sustainable development of the Amazon rainforest and media coverage of illegal gold extraction have had the effect of marginalizing and condemning the sector as a whole. Known in the international literature as small-scale and artisanal gold mining (ASGM), this sector involves millions of miners across the world and hundreds of thousands in Brazil, who make a living from it, feed their families, and foster local economies. However, ASGM miners use techniques and operating procedures that, if not controlled, mitigated and eventually replaced, could lead to significant social and environmental impacts. There are growing concerns over ASGM activities, and buyers, investors, and industrial sectors are willing to pay more for a product created in a responsible manner. However, questions remain as to how much the transition to a responsible operation would cost, and whether buyers would really be willing to pay for it. This research presents a proposal for the economic modeling of ASGM operations based on immersive work in three cooperatives of legal ASGM miners in Brazil. The proposed approach considers the SDGs (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals) of the 2030 agenda, as applied to small-scale mining, and the corresponding actions that are needed, based on a detailed survey of the costs of the analyzed operations, with the aim of guiding small-scale mining activities towards greater responsibility and sustainability. In the proposed model, the average profit obtained from mining operations is guaranteed and the size of the bonus reverts to the responsible areas surveyed. A financial analysis based on our responsible model, which was developed for the cash flow for a hypothetical operation over 10 years, yields an IRR of 54 % and a payback of 2.54 years, thus demonstrating its economic viability.

Artisanal Mining River Dredge Detection Using SAR: A Method Comparison

Challenges exist in monitoring artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) activities, given their dynamic and often informal nature. ASM takes form through various techniques and scales, including riverine dredging, which often targets the abundant alluvial gold deposits in South America. Remote sensing offers a solution to improve data collection, regulation, and monitoring of the more mobile and elusive ASM activities and their impacts. Mapping ASM riverine dredges using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is one of the application areas least explored. Three semi-automated detection approaches using Sentinel-1 SAR are compared on their ability to identify dredges with minimal false positives. The methods are: (i) Search for Unidentified Maritime Objects (SUMO), an established method for large ocean ship detection; and two techniques specifically developed for riverine environments that are introduced in this paper: (ii) a local detection method; and (iii) a global threshold method. A visual interpretation of SAR data with the inclusion of optical high-resolution data are used to generate a validation dataset. Results show it is possible to semi-automatically detect riverine dredge using SAR and that a local detection method provides the best balance between sensitivity and precision and has the lowest risk of error. Future improvements may consider further automation, more discriminatory variables, and analyzing the methods in different environments and at higher spatial resolutions.

Farmers' coping strategies to artisanal small-scale mining activities: welfare improvement or deterioration in Asutifi North District of Ghana?

PurposeIn Ghana, legal and illegal artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) activities have attracted the attention of the general populace and academia with varied opinions. This study examined how adopting the coping strategies for ASM operations affected the welfare of farm households.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data were solicited from respondents using a semi-structured questionnaire. This paper used the endogenous treatment effect model to quantitatively estimate whether or not farmers who adopt coping strategies for activities of ASM have improved or deteriorated welfare.FindingsThe results revealed that households adopted coping strategies such as diversification, social networking, land reclamation, borrowing, dependence on the market for food and resettlement in other communities. The endogenous treatment effect model results show that households that adopted land reclamation and social networking had improved welfare regarding consumption expenditure and food security compared to non-adopters. Conversely, diversification was associated with lower consumption expenditures and high food insecurity among adopters.Practical implicationsThis paper recommends that farm households in mining communities form cooperatives and farmer-based organizations to ensure improved access to joint resources for enhanced capacity to cope with ASM-induced shocks. There is a need for government and civil society organizations to encourage and support land reclamation measures.Originality/valueThis paper covers a broader perspective and deploys more than one welfare proxy, which has not been considered before in previous studies.

Tuberculosis cohort analysis in Zimbabwe: The need to strengthen patient follow-up throughout the tuberculosis care cascade.

Globally people with tuberculosis (TB) continue to be missed each year. They are either not diagnosed or not reported which indicates possible leakages in the TB care cascade. Zimbabwe is not spared with over 12000 missed cases in 2020. A preliminary review of TB treatment outcomes indicated patient leakages throughout the presumptive cascade and undesirable treatment outcomes in selected cities. Chegutu District had pre-diagnosis and pretreatment losses to follow-up while Mutare City among others had 22.0% of outcomes not evaluated in the second quarter of 2021, and death rates as high as 14% were recorded in Gweru District. The problem persists despite training on data analysis and use. The TB cohorts were analysed to determine the performance of the care cascade and the spatial distribution of treatment outcomes in Zimbabwe. Using data from district health information software version 2.3 (DHIS2.3), a secondary data analysis of 2020 drug-sensitive (DS) TB treatment cohorts was conducted. We calculated the percentage of pre-diagnosis, and pre-treatment loss to follow-up (LTFU). For TB treatment outcomes, 'cured' and 'treatment completed' were categorized as treatment success, while 'death', 'loss to follow-up (LTFU), and 'not evaluated' were categorized as undesirable outcomes. Univariate analysis of the data was conducted where frequencies were calculated, and data was presented in graphs for the cascade, treatment success, and undesirable outcomes while tables were created for the description of study participants and data quality. QGIS was used to generate maps showing undesirable treatment outcomes. An analysis of national data found 107583 people were presumed to have TB based on symptomatic screening and or x-ray and 21.4% were LTFU before the specimen was investigated. Of the 84534 that got tested, 10.0% did not receive their results. The treatment initiation rate was 99.1%. Analysis of treatment outcomes done at the provincial level showed that Matabeleland South Province had the lowest treatment success rate of 77.3% and high death rates were recorded in Matabeleland South (30.0%), Masvingo (27.3%), and Matabeleland North (26.1%) provinces. Overall, there were high percentages of not-evaluated treatment outcomes. Pre-diagnosis LTFU was high, and high death and loss to follow-up rates were prevalent in provinces with artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) activities. Unevaluated treatment outcomes were also prevalent and data quality remains a challenge within the national TB control program. We recommended strengthening patient follow-up at all levels within the TB care cascade, strengthening capacity-building for data analysis and use, further analysis to determine factors associated with undesirable outcomes and a study on why LTFU remains high.

Heavy Metal Contamination in Topsoil in Mining-Plagued Communities in the Amansie West District, Ghana

ABSTRACT This study was conducted in five randomly selected small-scale mining communities in the Amansie West District of Ashanti Region, Ghana to assess the impacts of small-scale mining activities on heavy metal presence in three different land use types (mined site, farmland and forest area). Using a random sampling design, a total of 60 soil samples were collected from 0–20 cm depth and analyzed for soil heavy metals: arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and copper (Cu) using Two-way ANOVA. Heavy metal concentrations for As (5.571 mg/kg), Cd (0.002 mg/kg), Cu (1.158 mg/kg), Pb (0.076 mg/kg) in the communities did not exceed the FAO/WHO permissible limits with the exception of Hg concentrations for the respective communities (0.68 mg/kg, 1.07 mg/kg, 1.26 mg/kg, 1.28 mg/kg, 17.03 mg/kg) whose levels were 2.3 to 56.8 times higher than FAO/WHO permissible limits (0.3 mg/kg). The distribution of heavy metals in the soil was not uniform across the different land use types in the mining landscape. Differences in heavy metal concentrations were significant (p < .05) at the community, land use and their interaction (community*land use) levels with the exception of As concentration at the land use level (p > .05). The study concludes that soils of the major land use types in the study area (mined sites, farmlands and forest area) are all contaminated by Hg accumulation. Therefore, effective rehabilitation of mined sites in mining-plagued-communities should include measures for removing mercury from the soil.

Application of triple bottom line concept to artisanal and small-scale mining activities in Wa East District, Ghana

&lt;p align="justify"&gt;The artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector offers a supplementary livelihood strategy to agriculture in northern Ghana, acting as a source of capital to support agriculture. However, the sector has been associated with several adverse environmental and socio-economic consequences, making its sustainability dimensions extremely complex and inconclusive across the literature. This study sought to investigate the dynamics of ASM operations in line with the Triple Bottom Line concept. Specifically, the paper explored the influence of the small-scale mining law and institutional framework on ASM operations, examined the relationship between the economic benefits of ASM and other livelihood activities, and assessed the adverse environmental effects of ASM in the host communities. The research design was a mixed method and cross-sectional survey. Household questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and non-participant observation were the main primary data collection techniques. Secondary data were provided by satellite images sourced from USGS Earth Explorer. They were analysed to determine the land cover types. The results indicate that the relevant regulatory state institutions lag behind their law enforcement duty. The ASM is a lucrative job that provides quick income to the youth. However, ASM activities affect food crop farming and decrease the quantity and quality of vegetation causing variations in land cover. Consequently, the host communities and ASM cooperatives have employed some land reclamation strategies. The study recommends increased government support to the relevant regulatory state institutions to constantly monitor and sanitize the ASM sector. To eradicate illegal mining, the study advocates for multi-stakeholder consultation and action.&lt;/p&gt;

Artisanal and small-scale mining in Tanzania and health implications: A policy perspective

The mineral sector, especially its small-scale subsector, has become significant in the emerging economies of the Global South. Tanzania is the focus of this policy exposition paper because, aside from Ghana and South Africa, Tanzania is ranked 4th in Africa in terms of its mineral deposits and small-scale mining activities. The focus is also on artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) because ASM operations have significantly increased in recent times across this mineral-rich country of East Africa. This is done against a negative backdrop-labelling of ASM as unsustainable, environmentally unfriendly, inefficient, and illegal. Tanzania has made some progress to respond to some of the challenges in the mining sector to improve the micro and macroeconomics of the country. Some areas remain challenging including the lack of proper environmental health education for the ASM miners; the lack of clear national-level policies to guide health-related matters in the ASM subsector, and the small capital investment of the ASM subsector to support healthy mining practices. The details related to the persistence of these challenges are not well known, particularly those that pertain to policymaking. This article attempts to evaluate the policy environment of the ASM subsector in Tanzania and propose appropriate actions for the future of mineral resource policymaking in Tanzania.

Impacts of the first deep-sea seafloor massive sulfide mining excavation tests on benthic communities

Japan undertook the first ever tests of deep-sea seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) excavation in 2017 in the Okinawa Trough. This study examines infauna from several nearby stations before and up to 3 yr after disturbance. Distance from excavation, current direction, seafloor topography, and modeled and observed deposition were used to classify the level of impact of each station. Metal concentrations were analyzed, as were nanofauna (2-32 µm), meiofauna (32-300 µm), and macrofauna (&gt;300 µm). Elevated Cd, Pb, Hg, Zn, Fe, and Cu were confirmed as indicators of sedimentation from the SMS extraction. Benthic communities appeared altered by the disturbance test, with different size classes showing different levels of response and recovery. Nanofaunal and meiofaunal abundances appeared to take several weeks to show impacts from the disturbance and may have returned to pre-test levels within 1 yr, but changes to nematode community structure persisted longer. In contrast, macrofaunal abundances and diversity appeared to decrease immediately, and possibly remained depressed compared to pre-test levels at impacted sites at least 3 yr later. In addition, meiofaunal nematode:copepod ratio and macrofaunal percent composition of polychaetes, along with several nematode taxa, may serve as useful bioindicators of SMS mining. The small scale of disturbance requires caution when extrapolating to full-scale mining, but these results suggest current direction and topography greatly influence the extent of mining impacts; in addition, several metals may be useful for identifying the mining footprint. Biological results indicate that larger macroinfauna may be less resistant and resilient to mining impacts than smaller meiofauna and impacts from even small-scale mining activities may persist for at least 3 yr.

Towards a sustainable artisanal gold mining sector in South Africa: Proposed developmental initiatives

South Africa's Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) of 2002 addresses the socio-economic injustices of the post-Apartheid (after 1994) era. Additionally, the Act stipulates that a mining permit or licence is required to mine lawfully. Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) activities that occur without a mining permit, therefore, are illegal and criminalised. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) in South Africa recently released the draft Artisanal and Small-Scale mining policy for implementation in March 2022. The announcement of this policy is the first step in formalising the artisanal mining sector in South Africa. Yet, formalisation strategies often fail in sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of Africa. Consequently, the artisanal mining sector continues to operate informally or, in many cases, in an illegal setting. This paper argues that efforts should be directed toward addressing the sector's challenges, and the formalisation process ought to be viewed as an ongoing process. This article outlines developmental initiatives that industry players can apply to support the sector's challenges as part of a formalisation strategy. Ultimately, this will create opportunities where historically disadvantaged people can benefit from South Africa's mineral resources.

An Appraisal of Educational Implications on Students in Small Scale Mining Activities in Ghana

The purpose of this study was to assess the educational implications of children involved in small scale mining activities at Kyebi in the Abuakwa South District of Ghana. Qualitatively, case study research design was adopted for the study. The population for the study consisted of junior high school head teachers in the Abuakwa South District of Ghana. Purposive sampling technique was used to select all the thirty (30) junior high school head teachers who have taught in the district between 25 to 30 years. The main instrument for data collection was Semi-structured interview guide. Data collected by the researchers from participants was analysed through the use of the interpretive method based on the themes identified at in the data collection. The themes were related to the research question and interpreted based on the number of issues raised by participants. The study concluded that, students’ academic lives are being hampered as a result of their continuous engagement in small scale mining activities at the expense of their schooling. The study also revealed that students always score below pass grades during the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) due to the menace caused by illegal mining activities, hence the poor academic performance. It is recommended that the Ghana Education Service, in collaboration with other stakeholders must institute strict measures to curb absenteeism in schools. This would go a long way to ensure that the pupils would attend school on a regular basis. It is also recommended that government intervention programmes such as School Feeding and Free School uniforms be made available to these children in order to keep them in school.

Effects of Small-Scale Mining Activities on Fisheries and Livelihoods in the Birim River in Atiwa District, Eastern Region of Ghana

The socioeconomic importance of small-scale mining in Ghana is of great interest to the country. It provides employment, supports the livelihood of poor rural areas, and also contributes to national income. Despite all these importance, it has a great influence on the surroundings, with surface and groundwater bodies being the most affected. The study was conducted to determine the effects of small-scale mining activities on fisheries and livelihoods along the Birim River in Atiwa District of Ghana, and also, to ascertain the nature of mining in the catchment and the current status of fisheries in the river. Data were collected with a help of open and closed ended questionnaire and fishers were sampled using purposive sampling method. Findings revealed that fishing activity was vibrant before 2010, but declined afterward. Respondents indicated that the number of fishers who went fishing daily before 2010 decreased drastically after 2010. Also, before 2010, most of the fishers (62%) used fishing nets compared to that after 2010. About 74% of respondents revealed that they could harvest at most 5 crates of fish a day before 2010, while about 38.6% of respondents indicated they could harvest 5 crates after 2010; thus 25 kg per day before 2010. It was revealed that 34% of respondents indicated they could make above $10 daily before 2010 as against 2% making $10 per day after 2010. About 90% of the respondents attributed their levels of harvest and average income per day to the effects of mining, with the reason being that miners wash their products in the river (52%), thus polluting the waterbody. Mining in water locally and commonly known as “changfan” was the main type of mining in the study area. From the findings, it is concluded that small-scale mining has detrimental effects on aquatic ecology and has resulted in the creation of deep pits which destroy gears, increasing the costs of gear repairs, fishing effort, and pollutes water (physical and chemical factors). Hence, it is recommended that there should be a ban on all small-scale mining in and around water bodies as this has detrimental effects on water quality and reduce fishing in the area.&#x0D; Keywords: Pollution; small-scale mining; Birim River; Changfan; Atiwa; Ghana

Recent expansion of artisanal gold mining along the Bandama River (Côte d’Ivoire)

• Artisanal and small-scale gold mining is a serious threat to the environment. • In Ivory Côte d’Ivoire, this activity has developed very quickly recently. • The lack of geographical information is an obstacle to the regulation. • The monitoring of artisanal mining from space can help governements. Recent development of small-scale gold mining activities in Côte d’Ivoire is a serious threat to the environment because of deforestation, soil scrapping, pit mining, over-use of water resources and pollution of surface and ground waters by mercury, cyanides, and acids. The challenge for the governance of this activity is to resolve the tension between the desired development of a small-scale mining activity, which may benefit the local and national economy, and the impacts of this activity on the environment. The regulation of the exploration and exploitation of mining sites and the promotion of best practices was part of the National program for the rationalization of gold-panning in Côte d’Ivoire. The capacity of the government to monitor the expansion of numerous mining sites disseminated all over the country is one of the key aspects for successful implementation of these policies. This study explores the potential value of computer-assisted mapping of artisanal mining sites based on Sentinel-2 imagery. The detection method, using artificial intelligence and training data sets generated during field campaigns, was inspired from a previous experience in Senegal. It was applied to a region of about 600 km 2 in Central Côte d’Ivoire. Annual maps of areas affected by the mining activities were produced for the period 2018 – 2021. The areas affected by artisanal mining activities expanded from 3.39 km 2 to 8.80 km 2 in December 2021, corresponding to an average growth rate of 0.24 km 2 /month. The temporal and spatial resolution of the Sentinel satellite imagery proved to be useful to map and quantify the expansion rate of artisanal mining sites in Côte d’Ivoire. Recommendations are made for the integration of these tools into plans for the development of small-scale mining activities in Côte d’Ivoire that would be more respectful of the environment and societies.

The Use of C-Band and X-Band SAR with Machine Learning for Detecting Small-Scale Mining

Illicit small-scale mining occurs in many tropical regions and is both environmentally and socially hazardous. The aim of this study was to determine whether the classification of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery could detect and map small-scale mining in Ghana by analyzing multi-temporal filtering applied to three SAR datasets and testing five machine-learning classifiers. Using an object-based image analysis approach, we were successful in classifying water bodies associated with small-scale mining. The multi-temporally filtered Sentinel-1 dataset was the most reliable, with kappa coefficients at 0.65 and 0.82 for the multi-class classification scheme and binary-water classification scheme, respectively. The single-date Sentinel-1 dataset has the highest overall accuracy, at 90.93% for the binary water classification scheme. The KompSAT-5 dataset achieved the lowest accuracy at an overall accuracy of 80.61% and a kappa coefficient of 0.61 for a binary-water classification scheme. The experimental results demonstrated that it is possible to classify water as a proxy to identify illegal mining activities and that SAR is a potentially accurate and reliable solution for the detection of SSM in tropical regions such as Ghana. Therefore, using SAR can assist local governments in regulating small-scale mining activities by providing specific spatial information on the whereabouts of small-scale mining locations.

Planning for the effective and sustainable management of Ghana’s artisanal small-scale gold mining industry

Over the years, artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) activities have been associated with unacceptable mining practices, which pose several health and environmental risks to communities and nations at large. Ghana is currently confronted with pollution of its main water bodies, which has reduced the supply of good quality water to the populace. To address these problems, several attempts - policy formulation, formalisation and introduction of technical assistance - have been undertaken by the government of Ghana and other international bodies such as United Nations Industrial Development Organisation-UNIDO. Despite these attempts, majority of artisanal small-scale miners are not registered and even some registered miners together with unregistered miners indulge in unacceptable mining practices. Premised on these, the study sought to undertake a thorough review of the challenges associated with the management of ASM in Ghana and provide a framework for the effective management of the sector. Consequently, a three-pronged approach (problem analysis, planning and implementation and enforcement) with a cross-cutting focus on monitoring and evaluation is recommended.

Impact of Small-Scale Mining Activities on Physicochemical Properties of Soils in Dunkwa East Municipality of Ghana.

The quality of soils in rehabilitated small-scale mined sites needs thorough investigation since a lot of changes do occur. The study assessed the impacts of small-scale mining activities on concentration and distribution of soil physicochemical properties and heavy metals. The soil samples were collected from 120 (50 m × 50 m) plots. The concentrations of soil physicochemical properties (Ca, Mg, Na, N, P, K, and OC and EC) varied significantly (p < 0.05) between unmined and mined soils. However, there were no statistically, significant differences (p < 0.05) observed in the concentrations of Cd, Hg, Pb, As, and Cu between the unmined and mined soils. Despite the generally poor (33.8%) soil quality in the study area, mining activities further reduced it by 24.2%. Soils from mined sites with unfilled/partially filled pits had higher levels of K, Mg, and Na. As mined sites fallow period increased, concentrations of OC and Cd increased, while Ca, Mg, pH, Cu, Pb, and As and value of EC decreased. The number of years that mined land remained fallow, and whether the pits were filled or unfilled during this period should be factored into the mined land rehabilitation processes.

Effect of small-scale illegal mining on surface water and sediment quality in Ghana

ABSTRACT In Ghana, small-scale mining (SSM) has been carried out for many years, generating employment and income. Currently, illegal artisanal mining (‘galamsey’) has impacted the environment negatively, resulting in land degradation and water pollution. The government of Ghana, responding to public outcry against the negative effects of ‘galamsey’, placed a ban on illegal small-scale mining activities in March 2017. This ban stopped both ‘legal’ small-scale and the illegal artisanal miners from carrying out any such activity. In July 2018, this study was carried out to examine the status of water and sediment quality in eight endemic regions of illegal mining to ascertain the outcome of the ban on the water quality of the rivers. Methodologies in the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater were followed. Results of the study indicated that the rivers were high in total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity and colour, suggesting inflow of wastewater from the illegal mining activities and some run-off. Colour had a strong correlation with turbidity (r = 0.95) and TSS (r = 0.94), suggesting that the pollution originates from the same sources. Low levels of metals were found in both water and sediment. However, very high concentrations of Fe were detected in both water and sediment. Mercury concentrations were low in the water column but relatively higher in the sediment. A comparison of the general water quality status of the water bodies in the Pra Basin in 2013 and 2018 using the Water Quality Index (WQI) showed a marginal improvement in quality in 2018 over 2013 in the Pra Basin. The improvement of water quality in 2018 is attributable to the ban.

Assessment of surface water quality and mercury levels from Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) along Acupan River, Benguet, Philippines.

Artisanal and small-scale mining activities are most evident among communities surrounding the Acupan River in Itogon Benguet. The mining activities include manual extraction of gold ores, use of improvised ball/rod mills and sluice boxes, and metallurgical processing such as cyanidation, carbon-in-pulp (CIP) and amalgamation. This study evaluates the influence of small-scale mining and the geology/mineralization of the Acupan Au-Ag-Te deposit to the water quality of the Acupan River and to the possible human exposures to Hg within the small-scale mining community. Different water quality parameters were monitored along selected sites along the Acupan River for a year and the results showed that the low average values of dissolve oxygen (DO) (2.54-4.53mg L-1) and the relatively high average values of pH (8.84-10.10), sulfate (300.00-1133.33mg L-1), nitrate (11.33-134.67mg L-1), arsenic (As) (0.227-0.574mg L-1) and mercury (Hg) (0.004-0.054mg L-1) have exceeded the acceptable criteria limit of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for Class C waters. The exceeded values are noted to occur in areas where extensive small-scale mining activities are being done and have affected as well the downstream areas. To test possible human contamination in the use of Hg, hair samples from 56 volunteers were analyzed for total Hg (T-Hg) following standard protocols. The T-Hg concentrations in hair samples are mostly inorganic and are determined in various parameters such as sex, geographic location, occupation, age, fish consumption and localization in hair. Though not significantly different, higher Hg values are noted in males (1.280 ± 0.446ngmg-1) than among females (0.651 ± 0.163ngmg-1) as well as those with ages 41-50years (3.130 ± 2.330ngmg-1) as compared to other age groups. The higher amounts of inorganic Hg in human hairs could be attributed to the discrete yet prevalent use of amalgamation. The findings of this study emphasize the need for better regulations of the small-scale mining activities and for stricter implementation of the total ban on the use of Hg in ore processing to ensure better water quality of Acupan River as well as the health and safety of the communities surrounding the river.

Assessing the impacts of artisanal mining on the quality ofvf South-western Rivers System in Ghana.

Artisanal small-scale mining has been part of Ghana's history, but recent public outcry on the devastating impacts of the phenomenon on water bodies, due to expansion in the sector, has led to clamp downs by various governments on the activity. This has called for evaluation of the water quality of the South-western Rivers System, which are small-scale mining endemic areas. Thirty-five river samples were collected in July 2018 and were analyzed for physico-chemical parameters using procedures outlined in the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewaters. The results revealed that the rivers are polluted with Fe and Cu, accompanied by very high levels of turbidity (mean = 488 NTU) and total suspended solids (TSS) (mean = 382mg/L). NH3-N, PO4-P, BOD, and DO levels indicated mild pollution in the waters. Pollution of the rivers is attributable to impacts of artisanal small-scale mining, surface run-off as a result of high intensity rainfall, anthropogenic (indiscriminate waste disposal) and geogenic factors such as dissolution of minerals from the soil zone. It was observed that, if not strictly regulated, turbidity and TSS levels arising mainly from illegal small-scale mining activities could lead to shutdowns of a number of Ghana Water Company Limited treatment plants, leading to water supply challenges in the study area.