EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
for
Colour Granite Quarry over an extent of 2.554 Ha.
Production: 4,704 m
3/annum
Survey.No. 650 of Valasapalli Village, Madanapalli Mandal, Chittor District,
Andhra Pradesh
.
of
M/s Ishvarya Publicities Pvt. Limited
Managing Director.- Sri. K Srikar Reddy
Ground Floor, Shop No.48, TNHB Complex, 180, LUZ, Church Road, Mylapore, Chennai- 600004, Tamil Nadu State.
for
CONDUCTING PUBLIC HEARING
Prepared by
M/s Pragathi Labs & Consultants Pvt. Ltd.
(Recognized by MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT FORESTS & CLIMATE CHANGE, New Delhi) Plot No. B15 & 16, Industrial Estate
Sanath Nagar, Hyderabad – 500 018 NABET Certificate No. NABET /EIA/2124/RA 0237
Executive Summary
Introduction
India as the most populated and developing country, the demand for the natural resources, including the minerals is high. At the same time, the pollution from the manmade activities shall be reduce and sustainable development has to be ensured. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is the tool to identify the negative and positive impact and to adopt the measures to reduce the negative impacts and enhance the positive impacts.
M/s Ishvarya Publicities Pvt. Limited, Managing Director, Sri. K Srikar Reddy obtained the mine lease to extract Colour Granite mineral in an area of 2.554 Ha.
at Sy. No. 650 of Valasapalle village, Madanapalli mandal, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh. The Letter of Intent (LoI) was issued on dated 25-01-2022 for 20 years.
The Mining plan was approved by the Department of Mines & Geology through Letter No. 1169/MP/CG/PLNR/2022 on 13.05.2022 for 5 years.
The ADMG issued a cluster letter of Letter No. 5018/Q1/CG/20187 dated 22.06.2022stating that there are three other quarry leases existing within the 500 m radius of the project site.
As per the EIA Notification, dated 14th September 2006 along with its amendments, extraction of minerals having threshold capacities should obtain prior environmental clearance from the competent authority.
In the light of the NGT order dated 13th September 2018 in O.A. No: 186 of 2016, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climatic Change (MoEF & CC), Government of India (GoI) has issued Office Memorandum Vide No: F. No. L- 11011/175/2018-IA-II (M) dated 12th Dec 2018 stating that the projects have mine lease area from 5 to 25 Ha. require EIA and Public Consultation since “B2 is considered at par with B1” category.
Viewing the importance and necessity of obtaining Environmental Clearance (EC), the proponent entrusted the job of preparation of EIA report to M/s Pragathi Labs
& Consultants Pvt. Limited (which is accredited by NABET, QCI), Hyderabad.
Project description
Location and Salient features
The area lies in Topo sheet No. 57K/10 the Survey of India. The approach road is at a distance of about 0.4 km in South side of Mine site which connects to MDR 247 (Bommanacheruvu Road). The location of the project site, project details and
Table: 1 Salient features of the project
Description Details
Location
Location Sy No. 650 of Valasapalli Village, Madanapalli Mandal, Chittur District, Andhra Pradesh.
Latitude and Longitude Latitude (N): 13030’41.11634” N to 13030’46.61305” N Longitude (E): 78031’15.31178” E to 78031’24.53313” E
Toposheet No. 57 K10 (Scale 1:50,000)
Elevation 741.15 – 788.8 m MSL
Topography Hilly terrain.
Seismic Zone Zone-II
Project details
Mine lease area (Ha.) 2.554
Project/Activity Mining of Minerals 1(a) Category of Project B2 at par with B1 New/Expansion/Modernization New (Greenfield project)
Mining Method Open cast semi mechanized
Minable reserves (m3) 6,33,528 Average Production (m3/annum) 4,704 Life of the mine (Years) 20
Cost of the project Rs. 0.75 Cr.
Environmental Setting details (with aerial distance & direction) Nearest village Bandakadapalle, 0.35 km, SSW
Nearest Road MDR-247 (Bommanacheruvu Rd.) – 0.4 km, South
Nearest town Madanapalli – 5 km NNE
Rail network Madanapalle R.S, 114.2 km, North Forest boundary Madanakonda RF, 0.329 km North
Nearest Water bodies 1- Water pond near Narakavaripalle, 0.74 km SW 2- Canal near Nayanavaripalle – 0.68 km – SE 3- Pond near Guntavaripalle – 0.85 km - South Ecological sensitive areas Interstate
Boundary, Archaeologically &
Historically Imp. Site
None within 10 km radius of the study area.
Geological reserves
Based on the exposure observed and the height difference in the lease area the maximum thickness of Colour Granite sheet rock above the existing ground level is estimated to be 47.674 m, 30.0 m depth is considered to be proved reserves.
Below ground level 6 m each is considered to be probable and possible reserves. It will be mined by opencast semi-mechanized method (wire saw method). The Cross-sections method has been used to calculate the reserves for Colour granite, Cross section have drawn on a scale 1:2000. The cross-sectional area of deposits is multiplied by sectional interval to give volume. The volume is multiplied by the bulk density and considering 15% recovery, the reserves are tabulated below,
Total Geological Reserves = 8,08,024 m3
Reserves Blocked Under 7.5 M Buffer Zone + Bench Slopes = 1,74,496 m3 Total Mineable Colour Granite Reserves = 6,33,528 m3 Total Saleable Colour Granite Reserve @15% = 95,029 m3
Average production = 4,704 m3
The mineable reserves are considered for estimation of life of the mine, Total Saleable Reserves = 95029 = 20.2 says 20 years
Avg. Proposed Production 4704 Mining process
During the plan period, it is proposed to carry out the quarrying operations by the open cast semi mechanized method. The ROM will be sorted into different sizes.
The ROM will be loaded into tippers and tractors using a JCB backhoe or Excavator. Mining will be carried out by the formation of benches of 6 m in height of each bench. The generated waste during the plan period will be dumped systematically covering an area of 0.5747 Ha. on the SW of the lease area. The mineral is temporarily stored in the stockyard on the South side of ML.
Table: 2 Mining Details
No. Particulars Details
1 Method of mining Open cast semi mechanized 2 Proposed production (saleable) 4,704 m3/annum
3 Mineable Reserves 6,33,528 m3
4 Total Saleable reserve 95,029 m3
5 Life of mine 20 years
6 Bench Height & Width 6 m & 6 m
7 Slope of the pit 450
8 No. of working days 300
Table: 3 Requirement of the project
No. Requirements Quantity Source
1 Land 2.554 Ha. Mine lease area
2 Water 15 KLD Outside tankers
3 Manpower 18 Majority from nearby villages Description of the Environment
Baseline data for the proposed project has been collected during winter season i.e., December-2022 to February 2023.
Meteorology
An Automatic Weather Station (AWS) was installed near the project site, for a period of three months (December-2022 to February 2023). The results are summarized in Table 4.
Table: 4 Summarized Meteorology data of project site
Month Temp. (°C) RH (%) RF (mm) WS (m/s) Predominant Wind Direction coming from
Min. Max. Min. Max. Total mean
Dec. 2022 15.2 26.1 49 88 46 2.4 NE, E, N
Jan. 2023 14.8 27.1 51 89 20 2.9 NE, E, N
Feb. 2023 18 30.4 56 92 16 2.5 NE, E, SW
Air, Noise, Water & Soil Environment
The summarized results for air, noise, water quality and soil quality are shown in table
Table: 5 Summarized baseline data (Dec. 2022 to Feb.2023)
Particulars Details Standards
Ambient air quality in µg/m3 - 8 locations NAAQS
PM10 min. 36 max.60 & 98th% 59.1 100
PM2.5 min. 19.3 max. 32.4 & 98th % 31.6 60
SO2 min. 6.5 max. 15.8 & 98th % 15.5 80
NO2 min. 10.1 max. 19.2 & 98th % 18.8 80
Noise levels in dB(A)-4 locations-CPCB Limits Industrial Residential Commercial
Lday (6 am to 10 pm) min. 46.8 & max. 56.1 75 55 65
Lnight (10pm to 6 am) min. 41.1 & max. 45.2 70 45 55
Ground water quality (IS: 10500:2012)-3 locations Desirable
limits Permissible limits
pH min. 7.1 & max. 7.7 6.5-8.5 --
TDS (mg/l) min. 676 & max. 1089 500 2000
Total hardness (mg/l) min. 292 & max. 448 200 600
Chlorides (mg/l) min. 155 & max. 265 250 1000
Fluoride (mg/l) Min & max. 1.0 1 1.5
Surface Water Quality (IS :2296)-3 locations Class -C
pH min. 7.3 & max. 7.8 6.0-8.5
Conductivity (µmhos/cm) min. 755 & max. 1002 NS
DO (mg/l) min. 5.1 & max.5.9 4
BOD (mg/l) min. 2 & max. 6 3
Fluoride (mg/l) min. 0.8 & max.0.9 1.5
Sodium Adsorption Ratio min. 1.6 & max. 2.6 26
Total Coliforms MPN/100ml min. 197 & max. 281 5000
Soil Quality - 5 locations
pH min. 6.8 & max. 7.8 Neutral
EC (µmhos/cm) min. 371 & max. 642 All the sampling stations having EC less than 1 mS/cm whereas low EC
represents low number of nutrient levels available for the crops.
Texture Sandy loam -
Organic carbon (%) min. 0.5 & max. 0.7 Medium Organic Carbon Organic matter (%) min. 0.83 & max. 1.2 Medium Organic Matter
Nitrogen (kg/ha) min. 101 & max. 136 Good content of available nitrogen Phosphorous (kg/ha) min. 40 & max. 54 Levels ranges from medium to high Potassium (kg/ha) min. 124 & max.186 Low to medium potassium content
Ecological Environment
Ecological features Description
Topography
Elevation Topographically the applied area is hillock with the height of 47.674 m from the lowest level and the maximum elevation trending towards NE.
Geology Hilly terrain with a gentle slope.
Climatic condition Semi-Arid Climate, seasonal rainfall Water source Tanker water supply
Soil type Sandy loam soil
Flora & Fauna of the region
Mineral resources Colour Granite
Agro resources Paddy, Groundnut, Red gram Horti resources Tomato, Banana, Sugarcane
General flora Acanthaceae, Amaranthaceous, Malvaceae, Verbenaceae, Rubiaceae Live stock Buffalos, cattle, sheep, goat
Other fauna Field Rat, garden lizard, crow, myna, egret, parrot etc.
Demographic structure
The baseline data for population and demographic details around the 10 km radius of mine site (according to 2011 census) is given below.
Population (%) Occupational structure (%) Literacy (%)
SC 8.9 Workers 41.2 Literates 68
ST 3.3 Non workers 58.8 Illiterates 32
Anticipated Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures
The prediction of impacts helps in minimizing the adverse impacts on the environmental quality during pre- and post-project execution. Both positive and negative impacts are described and tried to minimize negative impacts and maximized positive impacts by appropriate mitigation measures.
Impact on Air Environment
As wire saw cutting method is used for excavation of color granite, no blasting is required. Activities involved during mining operations such as excavation, loading and unloading activities, vehicular movements on loose soils are expected sources to generate airborne fugitive dust. The fugitive dust generated from the mine may cause an immediate effect on the mineworker because they are exposed directly to the fugitive dust. Smaller size dust particles (<2µm) may transport longer distances by wind and may cause an impact on the neighboring crops and people residing nearby villages.
Sources of air pollution along with the type of pollutant in the mining are given Table 6.
Table: 6 Fugitive and non-fugitive dust emissions during mining
No. Source Type of emission Pollutants
1 Preservation of top soil Fugitive & area source PM10 & PM2.5
2 Excavation Fugitive & area source PM10 & PM2.5
3 Wind erosion from overburden and waste dump Fugitive & area source PM10 & PM2.5
4 Material Handling Fugitive & line source PM10, PM2.5, NOx, SO2 & HC 5 Transportation Fugitive & line source PM10, PM2.5, NOx, SO2 & HC Mitigation measures to reduce dust emissions
Water sprinkling (6 KLD) arrangement would be provided to suppress dust emissions from the haul roads, mine working faces, stockpiles and other areas susceptible to dust emissions due to surface wind. The water tankers fitted with pressurized multiple spray systems (200 kg/cm2) having a nozzle size of 200 micrometres shall be deployed. The water spraying system will immobilize dust particles and thus reduce dust pollution by 30%.
The planting (7.5 m width green belt) of dense screening vegetation will act as a sink of pollutants.
The volume of dust arising from the dump by the action of the wind is controlled significantly by planting grasses on slopes and plants on dumps soon after their formation.
Regular water sprinkling at green belt plantation (950 No. of plants in 0.38 m2 area) and avenue plantation (400 No. of plants at 3 m interval) of wide leaf trees, creepers, tall grass along the approach road upto 1000 m either side will suppress the dust and improve the aesthetics.
Covering soil & debris piled in an open truck with leak-proof tarpaulin.
Efforts will be taken to collect the rainwater in pits, which is used in the future to suppress dust generation to some extent.
Impact on Noise Environment
The existing maximum noise levels at the mine site during the day and night time are 56.1 dB (A) and 45.2 dB (A) respectively. The mining activities involved in this mine are small compared with bigger mines. Drilling, transportation, loading and unloading of materials are prominent sources of noise pollution. Noise due to vehicular movement is intermittent but also adds to the background noise level.
Mitigation Measures to reduce noise.
Due to technological reasons, it may not be practicable to eliminate all noise levels but could be brought down to acceptable limits wherever possible.
Noise is best abated at source by choosing machinery and equipment suitably by providing noise-insulating enclosures or padding where practicable.
Every 5 m width of the green belt will reduce noise levels by 5 dB. The 7.5 m wide belt of trees of different heights will be provided which will act as noise absorbent in the mining area.
All the machinery will be lubricated and proper maintenance will be carried out which will reduce the wear and tear of equipment and noise generation.
Equipment will not be operated at a speed higher than the designed value hence the noise generated will be less.
Unnecessary idling of vehicles will be avoided.
Noise protective equipment will be provided to the mineworkers to protect them from the noisy environment.
Rotation of work to workers reduces the effect on individuals.
Impact on Water Environment
The total water requirement for this mining is 15 KLD. There is no discharge of wastewater from mines and allied activities. Only domestic effluent will be generated and this will be sent to the septic tank followed by the soak pit.
Surface Water
There is a chance for surface water pollution in the rainy season if proper control measures are not taken. During the heavy rainfall, there is the possibility of erosion and this run-off water from the waste dump and the mine benches will carry the suspended solids to a nearby water body.
Ground Water
The groundwater table depth in the study area varies from 20 to 30m below ground level. The ultimate depth of the working pit during the conceptual period will reach up to 30m above ground level. However, the proposed mine is hillock and the ultimate pit depth is above the natural ground level so no adverse impact on the groundwater quality is anticipated.
Mitigation Measures of water environment
No perennial streams are existing within the mine lease area, nor there are any springs in the lease area. A garland channel will be provided all around the mine lease area (730 m x 1 m x 0.7 m) and also around the dump area (180 m x 1 m x 0.7 m) will be made in the SW direction of mine to collect surface runoff water and siltation pond of capacity 500 m3 will be provided for the collection of silt.
The proposed garland with a silt settling pond can take care of the runoff from the dump without causing discharge. The water collected in the settling tanks will be used for plantation and dust suppression. Sump capacity with an adequate retention period has been provided to allow the proper settling of silt material.
The mine management will also install Roof top harvesting structures in the public buildings in nearby villages with prior consent from local gram panchayats to collect rain water and charge to ground through available dug well/ tube well.
Impact on Land Environment
The mining lease area (2.554 Ha.) is an un-irrigated barren area, out of which 1.009 Ha. shall be excavated in the plan period. This shows less disfiguration of the land and hence less chance of soil erosion. The topsoil generated in the mine site shall be very little, which will be stored in buffer zone.
The solid waste generated during the mining activity can cause an impact on surrounding land use and landscape if it is not managed properly. The waste generated from this type of mining is non-toxic and non-hazardous. Hence the impact on the soil will be negligible. The municipal solid waste generated due to 18 No. of employees working at the mine site is estimated as 2.7 kg/day.
Mitigation Measures
During the first 5 years 1,33,280 m3 of waste will be generated. The waste generated will be dumped systematically covering an area of 0.5747 Ha. on the South side of the lease area.
Garland drains will be provided around the boundary of the mine is channelize the surface run-off to the settling pond.
A retaining wall will be constructed all along the toe of the dump to support the benches or any loose material as well as to arrest the sliding of loose debris.
The domestic waste generated is negligible (2.7 kg/day) which will be stored in garbage bins and disposed of at the nearest municipal garbage points.
Impact on Biological Environment
The area used for mining is very small and no important species are found in the mine lease area hence, no loss of important species anticipating during the mining activity. There are no dense herbs and shrubs near the mine area, the loss is considerably less even though the loss shall be compensated with the greenbelt.
There will not be any adverse impact due to the mining activity in this lease area due to the low production from the mine lease area and there will not be any major polluting source from the mining operations.
There is no perennial water body within the mine site and no effluent shall be discharged from the mine.
There are no wild animals in the surrounding mine area. In the post-mining stage, proper fencing will be carried out to prevent the falling of animals into the excavated mine pits.
Mitigation Measures
Around 950 plant species with shrubs and trees are suggested in an area of 0.38 Ha. for the green belt development. These saplings will be planted in about different rows at the rate of 1500 trees/ha. The interspaces will be planted with grasses, bushes and hedges with the plants of medicinal value. Avenue plantation (400 No. of plants) will be done on either side of the approach road which will act as a sink of pollutants.
The short trees (<10 m height) will be planted in the first row (towards the plant side) of the green belt. The tall trees (>10 m height) will be planted in the outer row (away from the plant side). Pits will be filled with earth, sand and manure in predetermined proportions. The spacing between the trees will be maintained such that the trees may grow vertically and slightly increase the effective height of the green belt.
Impact on Socio-economic Environment
The site is located in a remote area and the requirement of manpower is only 18.
There is no influx of population and no negative impact anticipated. The adverse impact is only due to the fugitive dust from the mines that can fly and settle on the crops in negligible amounts, however, the dust suppression system will be followed at the dust-generating source itself. By adopting various mitigation measures as explained earlier, the environmental scenario in respect of ambient air quality, water quality, noise levels, water aspects, biological aspects etc. during the operation of the project will be maintained within the statutorily prescribed limits.
The proposed project provides directly 18 jobs and indirectly jobs to the local unemployed youth, employment will provide financial assistance to upgrade the livelihood of the local people. Allied activities of mining generate indirect employment that increases per capita income in the nearby villages and government will get revenue through royalty and sales tax due to mining.
Corporate environment responsibility is one of the missions of the mine. The activities carried under CER are given below
Table: 7 CER Activities
No. Activity Budget (Rs.)
1. Providing School uniforms and Books to students of nearby village 20,000
Post-Project Monitoring Plan
After studying the mining process the regulatory requirement can be fulfilled by monitoring critical pollutants under the detailed Environmental Monitoring Program is given in Table 8. The total budget of Rs 30,000/- has been allocated for Environmental Monitoring Program.
Table 8 Suggested Environmental Monitoring Programme
No. Monitoring activity
Locations Major parameters to be monitored
Frequency of Monitoring 1 Ambient Air
Quality Studies
1. At the project site.
2. Bandakadapalli village.
3. At Madanapalli village which is in downwind direction
PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2 Once in six months for 24 hours period during dry seasons of the year.
2 Ground water
Near project site Drinking water parameters as per IS 10500
Pre-Monsoon and Post Monsoon
3 Surface water
Settling tank pH, Conductivity, Alkalinity, TS, TDS, TSS, Total hardness, Cl, SO4, Ca, Mg, K, Na, NO3, F, Mn, P, Fe, & Sio2 & Total coliform
Pre-Monsoon and Post Monsoon
4 Noise Studies
At mine site & near mine periphery
Lmin, Lmax, Lday Once in six months 5 Soil Quality At mine site & near
mine periphery
N, P, K, OC, OM, Texture, pH, EC, Permeability, Water holding capacity &
Porosity
Once a year
Cost of Environmental Control Measures
To maintain the environmental quality within the limits, regular monitoring of various environmental components is necessary. The total cost of the project is Rs.
75 Lakhs in which the proponent will allocate Rs. 5.4 Lakhs as capital and Rs. 4.9 Lakhs as recurring costs per annum towards environmental protection initiatives.
Regular monitoring of various environmental parameters shall be carried out to ascertain the environmental component status.
Project Benefits
The employment potential of this mine will be about 18 persons based on the available skill level most of them will be recruited from the nearby habitants living within the 10 km vicinity. If necessary, skill development training will be provided.
Two percentage (i.e, 1.5 Lakhs) of capital investment for the Greenfield project will be utilized for the improvement of socio-economic requirement of nearby village under CSR activities. As a part of greenbelt and avenue plantation, 1350 nos of trees will be planted, which is improve the aesthetic and ecological conditions.
Conclusion
The management of M/s Ishvarya Publicities Pvt Limited is committed to using congenial environmental management practices at the planning & design stage and during the operation phase. The mitigation measures have been designed within the framework of various Central/ State legislative and regulatory requirements on environmental and socioeconomic aspects. The requirement of manpower in day-to-day operation of the mine generates employment opportunities for the local people. The overall impact of the project shall be on ambient air, which can be controlled by adopting various pollution control measures. In brief, it can be concluded that the proposed project is beneficial to the industry with fewer burdens on the environment. Due to the industrial activities, the demand and gap between the products will be reduced and local merchants in and around mine site will get benefitted.
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