ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN
Ordinary River Sand Mine, Madduru Village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District,Andhra Pradesh Environmental Management Plan
Introduction 1.1 Background In a developmental activity like Ordinary sand mining, all the exercise must co-exist satisfactorily with its surrounding condition so as to minimize the adverse impact on the environment. To control the likely adverse impacts and to achieve this goal, it is necessary to prepare a sound and Environmental Management Plan, which has to be implemented by the proponents, in order to achieve environmental protection along with production profits.
Government of Andhra Pradesh proposes to give specified sand bearing area for ordinary sand by way of allotment of the specified sand bearing area by draw of lots over an extent of 2.590 hectares of Madduru village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh. The proposal is submitted for environmental clearance as per the Minor Mineral Concession Rules issued by Industries & Commerce (Mines-1) Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh vide G. O. Ms. No. 154 dated 15- 11-2012 and APWALT Act '2002.
Asst. Director of Mines and Geology, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, Vijayawada, Krishna District has filed an application for quarry lease for Ordinary Sand mine over an extent of 2.590 hectares of Madduru village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh to the Assistant Director of Mines and Geology.
1.2 Project proponent
Asst. Director of Mines and Geology, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, Vijayawada, Krishna District has been granted quarry lease for mining of ordinary sand over an extent of 2.590 hectares of Madduru village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh.
Proposed project The proposed project is located in Madduru village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh over an area of 2.590 ha. The nearest habitation, Madduru village is located at a distance of 4.33 km from lease area. The proposed production is 25,900 Cu.m for a period of one year. The Salient features of the proposed Quarry Lease (QL) area is presented in Table 1.1
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Ordinary River Sand Mine, Madduru Village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District,Andhra Pradesh Environmental Management Plan
Table 1.1: Salient Features of Proposed Quarry Lease Area
Name of the Applicant & Address Asst. Director of Mines and Geology, Govt of Andhra Pradesh, Vijayawada, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh. Type of activity Ordinary Sand Mining Production Capacity 25,900 Cu.m for a period of one year Location of the Proposed project or activity Sand Reach : Ordinary Sand Madduru Village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh Appraisal Category B2 Quarry Lease (QL) Area & Period 2.590 Hectares & 1Year Type of Land Government Land Nearest habitation and distance Madduru Village – 4.33 km Source of water Through tankers or nearby bore wells
Nearest Railway station Nearest railway station is Vijayawada which is at 25 Km in NW of the quarry lease area. Total investment of the project/activity. Rs. 10 Lakhs
Survey of India Topo sheet 65 D/ 11&15 Man power requirement 15
Geographical Co-ordinates of Mine Lease Area:
Boundary Latitude Longitude Point 1 N16°23’4.28" E080°43'19.85" 2 N16°23’4.83" E080°43'24.47" 3 N16°23’55.09" E080°43'24.80" 4 N16°23’57.85" E080°43'22.014"
1.4 Project location and Accessibility
Amenities like post & Telegraph office Police station, primary health centre etc are available at Kankipadu is located at the distance of 11.9 Km due NE of the quarry lease applied area, which is also a Mandal head quarter.
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Ordinary River Sand Mine, Madduru Village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District,Andhra Pradesh Environmental Management Plan
1.5 Geology and Exploration Topography:
The proposed Mining Plan for Quarry Lease area applied for sand is a plain terrain and is part of Krishna River bed. It is having topographic relief of 7 Mt MSL with negligible slope due South. A High Flood Level of 7 Mt and a Low Flood level of 0.1 Mt is reported. Either banks of River Krishna are slightly elevated by about 0.5 Mt to 1.0 Mt from the base of the river bed formed by Flood plain. The general soil cover in the area comprises of silty clay. The proposed Quarry Lease applied area is devoid of any forest or tree cover and the only vegetation seen comprises of wild grass. Regional Geology: The region of the subject area belongs to recent alluvium of Quaternary fluvial origin. Charnokite and khondalite from the major litho units belonging to Eastern Ghats super Group of Archaean Age. Granite Gneiss is observed to the Eastern portion of the Krishna River. 1.6 Exploration/Prospecting a) Present Status: It is a new Quarry. The Preliminary survey has been done. The applied area does not contain any forest cover. The area does not consist any wild life.
b) Future Programme:- No further exploration is proposed as the mineral deposition is in the form of unconsolidated sediments and feasible for exploitation is restricted to one meter depth. Reserves As per the records of ADM&G Vijayawada, there are no workings done for the year 2018-19.The resources of sand are estimated by volumetric method by taking the surface area multiplied by proved depth of the sand deposit i.e. max. 1m. The reserves calculations are as follows: RESERVE CALUCLATION Area in Sq.m : 25,900 Sq.m Depth Of the Sand in meter : 1m Total Reserves in Cum : 25,900 Cu.m
5.3 MINEABLE RESERVES AND THE LIFE OF THE MINE: The total mineable reserves as explained are 25,900 m3 and the life of the mine is 1 year. Mineable Reserve / Production Proposed = Life of the Mine 25,900 / 25,900 = 1 Year
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Ordinary River Sand Mine, Madduru Village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District,Andhra Pradesh Environmental Management Plan
Mining Methodology The proposed quarrying operation is by Manual Opencast Quarrying. The Quarry operations will be done manually without using any type of machinery. The sand shall be scooped with hand held shovels and loaded into baskets. These baskets are then loaded onto 3M3 tractors. 1.10 Man Power Requirement for Mining Operations A total of 15 persons shall be engaged to carry out the various operations at the mine area. There is a scope of another 3 person’s employment as indirect employment.
Utilities Water Requirement: Total water requirement for the proposed mine is 8.0 KLD. It will be sourced through water tankers from nearby villages.
Water Requirement Total Water Requirement Requirement (KLD) For Dust Suppression on haul roads 4.0 Dust suppression on pit 2.0 Greenbelt Development 1.0 Domestic 1.0 Total 8.0 KLD
Site Amenities: First aid box and drinking water facility will be available at the site. Temporary rest shelter will be provided at the site.
2.0 Climatic Conditions Table - 2.1: Climatic Conditions Nearest IMD station - Maximum : 49.00 C Maximum, Minimum Temperature Minimum : 17.00 C
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Ordinary River Sand Mine, Madduru Village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District,Andhra Pradesh Environmental Management Plan
Annual rainfall in mm 1078.2 mm
Mean Wind Speed 5.4 km/hr (Source: Climatalogical Norms (1961-1990): IMD)
2.1 Flora and Fauna of Krishna River Sand Mines River sand used for construction should be free from clay and other fine soil particles. River sand when dry is loose and gets drifted easily by wind. Recent sand deposits are usually devoid of any plants or animals. Stabilized old deposits are sparsely covered with psammophytes and sand binders. Such deposits are rich in clay and other fine soil particles and hence unsuitable for construction activity. Hydrosere and Psammosere are examples of ecological succession that occur in relatively undisturbed habitats. A list of plants growing on sand dunes is given in Table - 2.1. There are no rare or endangered or threaten (RET) species. Since sand is obtained from recent deposits, plants are very rarely found on such deposits. Plant species that are occasionally found in the sand mine areas are indicated by *.
Table – 2.1: List of plants found on consolidated sand dunes and along the boundaries of the sand mine. Plants found in the sand mine are indicated by * Scientific Name Common Name Family Ammannia baccifera Monarch red stem Lythraceae Bulbostylis barbata * Water grass Cyperaceae Chloris barbata Swollen finger grass Poaceae Chrozophora plicata Giradol Euphorbiaceae Cleome viscosa Yellow spider flower Cleomaceae Croton bonplandianum Ban Tulasi Euphorbiaceae Cyperus compressus* Hedgehog sedge Cyperaceae Cyperus digitatus Finger flat sedge Cyperaceae Cyperus iria * Rice Flat sedge Cyperaceae Cyperus rotundus Nut grass Cyperaceae Cyperus triceps Guinea Rush Cyperaceae Cyprus longus Umbrella sedge Cyperaceae Eclipta prostrata * False Daisy Asteraceae Eichhornia crassipes Water hyacinth Pontederiaceae Imperata cylindrica Blady grass or Darbha Poaceae Ipomoea aquatica Water spinach Convolvulaceae Ipomoea carnea Pink Morning Glory Convolvulaceae Malachra capitata Vilayati Bhindi Malvaceae Parthenium hysterophorus Congress grass Asteraceae Saccaharum spontaneum Wild sugarcane Poaceae Solanum anthocarpum Thai Egg Plant Solanaceae
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Ordinary River Sand Mine, Madduru Village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District,Andhra Pradesh Environmental Management Plan
Tamarix dioica Fresh water Tamarix Tamaricaceae Typha angustata Lesser Cattail Typhaceae
A list of frogs, toads, turtles, snails, crabs and insects found in association with river sand deposits is given in Table 2.2. The lists of snails are identified by collecting the shells from the sand by sieving. A list of birds found in close proximity to the sand mines is given in Table – 2.3. None of them belongs to the rare or endangered or threatened (RET) category.
Table – 2.2: List of amphibians, turtles, snails, Crab and insects found in association with river sand deposits. General Scientific name Remarks name Duttaphrynus melanostictus Toad Widespread in dry areas Fejervarya limnocharis Frog Common pond Frog Hoplobatrachus tigerinus Frog Indian bull frog Lissemys punctata Turtle Rest on sand Pangshura tentoria Turtle Rest on sand Lamellidens marginalis Snail Parreysia corrugata Snail Pila conica Snail Identified on the basis of shells collected when Pila globosa Snail sand is sieved Pila virens Snail Radiatula pilata Snail Paratelphusa hydrodromus Crab Found in wet sand Gryllus assimilis Cricket Found in wet sand Rubrica nasuta Wasp Found in wet sand Rhopaea magnicornis Beetle Found in wet sand Phyllotocus rufipennis Beetle Found in wet sand
Table – 2.3: List of birds either spotted or reported from the surroundings of Sand Mine. Scientific name Common name WPA Schedule Acridotheres tristis Common Myna IV Anas acuta Pintail IV Anas clypeata Shoveller IV Anas poecilorhyncha Spot bill Duck IV Anas strepera Gadwall IV Anhinga melanogaster Indian Darter (Snake bird) IV Anser anser Graylag geese IV Anser indicus Bar headed Geese IV Ardea cinerea Grey Heron IV
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Ordinary River Sand Mine, Madduru Village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District,Andhra Pradesh Environmental Management Plan
Ardea purpurea Purple Heron IV Bubulcus ibis Paddy field Egret IV Ciconia episcopus White necked Stork IV Ciconia nigra Black stork IV Corvus splendens Common Crow V Dendrocygna javanica Lesser whistling Teal IV Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus Black necked stork IV Esacus recurvirostris Great stone-curlew IV Fulica atra Common Coot IV Gallinula chloropus Common Moorhen IV Grus Common Crane IV Halcyon smyrnensis White breasted kingfisher IV Mergus merganser Common Merganser IV Milvus migrans Black kite IV Netta rufina Red crested Pochard IV Recurvirostra avosetta Pied Avocet IV Rynchops albicollis Indian skimmer IV Tadorna ferruginea Brahminy Duck IV Tadorna tadorna Common Shelduck IV
4.0 Project Specific Impacts & Environmental Management Plan
To check harmful effects of mining activity in lease area Environmental Management plan has been proposed. Environmental management approach includes action to protect environment by using instruments, direct regulatory requirements or incorporating technological features. It provides the remedial solutions of the problems. 4.1 Air Environment Anticipated impacts and control measures From the riverbed sand mine major sources of air pollution are due to gaseous emissions from vehicular movement. It is suggested to take up the following control measures to minimize the impact due to mining on air environment. Regular spraying of water by water sprinkling system. Excavation and loading operations will be suspended during high windy periods. Timely maintenance of vehicles to minimize air pollution due to vehicles. Dust masks for employees. Care will be taken to prevent spillage of sand by covering the carrying vehicles with tarpaulin and sprinkling of water, if dry.
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Ordinary River Sand Mine, Madduru Village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District,Andhra Pradesh Environmental Management Plan
Fortnightly scraping of road in order to keep the roads almost leveled. This will ensure smooth flow of vehicles and also prevent spillage. Overloading will not be permitted. On unpaved roads, speed of vehicles will be restricted. Proper Tuning of vehicles to keep the gas emissions under check. Plantation of trees along the roads to help reduce the impact of dust in the nearby villages.
4.2 Noise Environment Anticipated impacts and evaluation As there will be no heavy earth moving machinery there will not be any major impact on noise level due to the mining and other association. Blasting technique is not used for Sand lifting, hence no possibility of land vibration. It was found that the mining activity will not have any significant impact on the noise environment of the region. The only impact will be due to transportation of materials by trucks.
Mitigation measures
As the only impact is due to transportation of Sand to the construction though village roads, emphasis will be given on the following points. Minimum use of Horns at the village area. Timely maintenance of vehicles and their silencers to minimize vibration and sound. Provision of green belts along the road networks. Care will be taken to produce minimum sound during loading.
4.3 Water Environment
The project activity is carried out in the meandering part of the river bed. It is not proposed to divert or truncate any stream. No proposal is envisaged for pumping of water either from the river or tapping the ground water within the mine lease. In the lean months, the proposed sand mining will not expose the base flow of the river and hence, there will not be any adverse impact on surface hydrology and ground water regime due to this project. Hence no impact on water environment due to proposed mine.
4.4 Greenbelt Development
Plantation is not possible as the entire area is occupied by sand. However plantation of trees should be carried out along the roads to help reduce the impact of dust in the nearby villages.
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Ordinary River Sand Mine, Madduru Village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District,Andhra Pradesh Environmental Management Plan
List of native species suggested for avenue plantation along the roads is given in table below. List of plants recommended for Avenue plantations along the river banks in Krishna Botanical Name Common /Local name Family Albizia lebbeck Siris Mimosaceae Alstonia scholaris Yedaakula paala Apocynaceae Anthocephalus indica Kadamba Rubiaceae Artocarpus hetrophyllus Jack fruit Moraeaae Azadirachta indica Neem Meliaceae Callistemon citrinus Bottle brush tree Myrtaceae Cassia fistula Rela / Golden shower Caesalpiniaceae Ficus benjaminia Weeping Fig Moraceae Ficus elastica Rubber plant Moraceae Grevillea pteridifolia Silky Grevillea Proteaceae Grevillea robusta Silver Oak Proteaceae Jacaranda acutifolia Jacaranda Bignomiaceae Kigelia africana Cucumber tree Bignomiaceae Mangifera indca Mango Anacardiaceae Melia dubia Malabar neem Meliaceae Michelia champaca Chettu Sampenga Magnoliaceae Muntingia calabura Jamaica Cherry Muntingiaceae Polyalthia pendula Ashoka Annonaceae Saraca indica Seetha Asoka Caesalpiniaceae Spathodia companulata Flame of the forest Bignoniaceae Syzygium cumini Jamun Myrtaceae Tabebuia argentea Silver trumpet tree Bignoniaceae Tabebuia rosea Pink trumpet tree Bignoniaceae Terminalia arjuna Tella maddi Combretaceae Terminalia catappa Almond Combretaceae
4.5 Land environment Anticipated impacts and mitigation measures Major impacts due to riverbed sand mining on land environment are: Damage of river bank due to access ramps to river bed. Contamination of sand aquifer water due to ponding.
Mitigation Mitigation measures proposed for minimizing impact on land environment due to river bed sand mining are detailed as below:
Sand will be extracted up to only 1 m. depth.
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Ordinary River Sand Mine, Madduru Village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District,Andhra Pradesh Environmental Management Plan
Minimum number of access roads to river bed for which cutting of river banks will be avoided and ramps are to be maintained. Access points to the river bed will be decided basing on least steepness of river bank and least human activity Mining schedule is synchronized with the river flow direction and the gradient of the land Care will be taken to ensure that ponds are not formed in the river bed Annual sand replenishment study to be carried by the concerned department by establishing observatory stations.
4.6 Solid waste management:
No waste will be generated as the entire sand mined is marketable and utilized. Hence, dumping yard does not arise.
4.7 Impacts of sand mining on flora and fauna:
Sand is a medium in which many small insects and mollusks take shelter. One can come across crabs and frogs also though rarely. Since good quality sand suitable for construction is devoid of any clay and other fine particles, it does not support the growth of plants. Sand quarrying does not involve any kind of drilling or blasting and hence the impacts are limited to the area from which sand is extracted. Dust emissions can be easily suppressed by spraying water before loading. However, on account of sand extraction, all plants growing on the sand deposits and all sedentary or slow moving animals get loaded into the trucks where they get buried. During transport of sand, turtles and frogs may get crushed under the wheels of the vehicles. Thus sand extraction can adversely impact them. But fortunately there is no evidence of occurrence of any RET species in these sand quarries. Hence, the sand mining in the proposed area is not going to lead to the elimination of any RET species. The major objective of conservation of biodiversity is the conservation of RET species. Thus River sand mining in accordance with adequate safeguards as defined by law and rules is capable of minimizing the negative impacts on flora and fauna.
4.8 Measures to Improve Socio Economic Conditions As this is small mine the lease holder will not be able to provide housing, educational, housing etc. facilities but he will increase employment opportunities.
4.9 Occupational Safety & Health Management General Workplace Health and Safety.
The identified risk and safeguard measures are detailed below:
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Ordinary River Sand Mine, Madduru Village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District,Andhra Pradesh Environmental Management Plan
Sand will be loaded in the trucks using hand shovels. There is possibility of injury in the hands during loading with shovels. There is possibility that the workers standing on the other side of loading may get injury due to over thrown sand with pebbles. First aid kit should be readily available at the mine site. There is possibility of workers getting injured during opening of side covers to facilitate loading. There is possibility of riverbank collapse. There are chances of falling of cattle/children into pits in river bed by overlooking of fenced area near worksite or improper supervision.
Measures to Prevent Accidents during Loading
The truck should be brought to a lower level so that the loading operation suits to the ergonomic condition of the workers. The loading should be done from one side of the truck only. The workers should be provided with gloves and safety shoes during loading. Opening of the side covers should be done carefully and with warning to prevent injury to the loaders. Mining operations should be carried out during daylight only. No foreign material should be allowed to remain/spill in river bed and catchment area, or no pits/pockets are allowed to be filled with such material. Stockpiling of harvested material on the river bank should be avoided.
Accident due to vehicular movement Sand loaded in trucks will be sent to end users through public roads. Accidents may cause due to the following reasons: All possibilities of road accidents are possible due to rash driving. Accident may also occur during movement in the mine, in case pathway is not compacted suitably or movement is at the embankment. There are possibilities due to overloading.
Measures to Prevent Accidents during Transportation All transportation within the main working should be carried out directly under the supervision and control of the management.
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Ordinary River Sand Mine, Madduru Village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District,Andhra Pradesh Environmental Management Plan
The Vehicles must be maintained in good repairs and checked thoroughly at least once a week by the competent person authorized for the purpose by the Management. To avoid danger while reversing the trackless vehicles especially at the embankment and tipping points, all areas for reversing of Lorries should be made man free as far as possible. Generally, overloading should not be permitted. The truck should be covered and maintained to prevent any spillage. The maximum permissible speed limit should be ensured. The truck drivers should have proper driving license.
Inundation/Flooding
The possibility of inundation/flooding of the mines are very high during monsoon or during heavy rains as the mine area lies in the riverbed. There is danger to the trucks and other machineries due to flooding. There is danger to the workers working in the mines.
Measures to prevent Dangerous Incidents during Inundation/Flooding Inundation of flooding is expected and beneficial for these mines as during this time only the mineral reserve gets replenished. During monsoon months and heavy rains the mining operations will be ceased.
5.0 Post Project Monitoring Ground water table should be monitored in the nearby villages on quarterly basis and should be submitted to MOEF and APPCB. Annual sand replenishment study to be carried by the concerned department.
Budget for Environmental Protection Measures Asst. Director of Mines and Geology, Govt of Andhra Pradesh, Vijayawada, Krishna District is allocating budget of Capital cost of Rs. 2,75,000/- and recurring cost of Rs. 1,40,000/- per annum. The details are given below in Table 6.1.
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Ordinary River Sand Mine, Madduru Village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District,Andhra Pradesh Environmental Management Plan
Table - 6.1: Environmental Management Plan budget
Item Capital Recurring S.No Remarks Cost (Rs.) Cost (Rs.) Occupational Health & Safety 1 Safety Shoes 45,000 - Capital Cost 2 Helmet 15,000 - - Need based 15,000 3 Hand gloves - Calculation
4 Air Pollution - 40,000 5 Water Sprinkling 50,000 50,000 6 Green belt 1,50,000 50,000 Planting along the approach road or by nearby village road Total 2,75,000 1,40,000
6.1 Reclamation No reclamation process has been proposed as the reclamation takes place naturally in the mined area due to the flow of sediment carrying water over the area.
Conclusions The proposed Ordinary sand mining activities of Asst. Director of Mines and Geology, Govt of Andhra Pradesh, Vijayawada, Krishna District at Ordinary River Sand Reach of Madduru village, Kankipadu Mandal, Krishna District will be not cause much environmental impacts on surrounding areas with the suggested pollution control measures.
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