1.0 Introduction:

1.1 Background: The Quarry lease, for quartz over an extent of 7.72 ha. in Sy Ns. . 574, Nallaguntla village, Komarolu mandal, , was granted for 20 years in favor of J.Venkateswarareddy, vide GoMs No. 62, Ind & com.(MII)Dept., Dated 26-02-1996 by the Secretary to Govt., Industries & commerce (MII) Dept., GoAP. The lease agreement was concluded by the proponent on 23-05-1996 as per orders issued by the ADMG, vide Pro. No. 1822/M/96 Dated 23-05-1996. The Quartz quarry is under operation for the last 9 years falls under the Category-B under schedule specified under notification issued vide S.O. 1533 MOEF dated 14-9-2006 read with amendments issued under S.O 2601 dated 7-10-2014 of MOEF & Climate change. This Environment Management plan has been prepared keeping in view the impact of mining on environment for submission to State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority/State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEIAA/SEAC) for environmental Clearance (EC).

1.2 Project Proponent: J.Krishna Reddy S/O Late J.Venkateswara Reddy, Owner.

1.3 Salient Features of the project: The salient features of the project are furnished below. Table-1. Salient features of the Quartz mine 1 Name of the Project Mining Lease for Quartz 2 Name of the Applicant and J.Krishna Reddy S/o Late J. Venkateswara address Reddy Owner Kothapalli village, Nandyala andal, Kurnool District, 3 Type of Activity Quartz quarrying. 4 Production Capacity 25,000 MT/ annum 5 Location of the mine The lease area is located in Sy. No. 574 of Nallakuntla village, Komarolu mandal, Prakasam district.It is at a distance of 1.0 Km towards Narthern side of Nallaguntla village. The State highway which connects komarolu with ongole is at a distance of 0.5 kms from the Mine site in the Eastern side The location can be found on Survey of Toposheet No. 57M/3, at the junction of the following co-ordinates 79o 01’ 0.2"E & 15020’ 28.1"N

6 Appraisal Category B 7 Quarry(QL) lease area and period 7.72 ha.for 20 years valid up to 22.05.2016 8 Type of land Government land

9 Nearest habitation and distance Nallaguntla , 1.0 km. 10 Nearest Seaport Krishnapatnam; 120 Km. 11 Nearest Air port Vijayawada-250 km 12 Source of water For drinking purpose of the persons working in the mine and for sprinkling purposes, water supply is drawn from the nearby bore wells on contract basis by tankers. 13 Nearest Railway Station :14Km. 14 Total Investment of the project INR 35.0 Lakhs. 15 Funds allocated for EMP( Capital INR 8.6 Lakhs cost & recurring cost / annum 2.1Lakh 16 Survey of India Topsheet No 57 M/3 17 Latitude 15020’ 28.1"N 18 Longitude 79o 01’0. 2"E

19 Man power requirement 20

1.4 Project Location and Accessibility: The lease area is located in Sy. No 574 of Nallagunta village, Komarolu mandal, Prakasam district, 1.0Kms towards Northen side of Nallaguntla village . The site can be located in Topo Sheet No.57 M/3, 15020’ 28.1"N & 79o 01’0.2"E Location map showing project site location is given in plate-I

The site has good connectivity as the state highway connecting Komarolu to ongole is at about 0.5 Km towards east. The nearest rail head Giddaluru of South Central Railway is at 14 Km. distance. A metal road connects the quarry site. Therefore, it has good road and rail connectivity. Topographical map of the area in 10 km radius of the mine area- plate-II

1.5 Geology and Exploration: a) Regional Geology: The area in and around Komarolu mandal represents eastern part of the Dharwar Craton of the Penisular Shield area consisting of the rocks of peninsular gneissic complex and Nellore schist belt. The peninsular gneissic complex is comprised of banded gneisses, streaky gneisses and migmatite of archaean age The Nellore schist belt comprises of hornblende schists, hornblende-biotite schists, amphibolites, mica schists and basic volcanics. The Rapur granite, pegmatites and quartz veins occur as intrusives. The Nellore schist belt occurs as linear schist belt with NNW- SSE to NNE-SSW trend in a backdrop of peninsular gneissic complex. The schist belt lithology also occurs as vestige, bands, synclinal keels, rafts and enclavial patches within the granites. The subject area ia an undulatory terrain covered by the exposures of schist, phyllites and quartzites which represent the lithology of Nelloore schist belt.

Local Geology: The mineral quartz in this lease area occurs as intrusive veins into the host rocks, schists and Phyllites. In the present case there are two prominent veins of 200m and 260m. in length and average width of 9 to 11m. The quartz veins are exposed to a height of 10m. along the strike in N-S direction. The contact between the veins and the country rock is covered with phyllites and float material. The outcrop portion of the veins appear to have been exposed due to weathering and dispersal of the phyllites from both sides.

Parameters for evaluation of quartz: The rocks suitable for quartz are required to conform to certain parameters like colour, form, lustre, hardness, chemical composition and magnitude of the deposit. The selected quartz deposit has the following favorable analysis of mineral quartz.

SiO2 : 99.64

Fe2 O3 : 0.02

Al2 O3 : 0.09 CaO : 0.04

MgO : 0.02

Na2 O : 0.05

K2 O : 0.01 L O I : 0.10

1.6 Exploration/Prospecting: Large scale mapping on 1:2000 scale is carried out over an area of about 2 sq. km, of which a potential area of 7.72 ha for quartz is identified. In this area the Quartz is more or less homogeneous in texture, structure, hardness and composition.

1.7 Reserves: Corroborating the detailed geological studies and the pit data, the reserve estimation was carried by the cross sectional area method. For proved reserves, on the basis of lithological homogeneity observed in the existing pit with a depth of 4 m was taken into consideration and same is being extrapolated up to a depth of 20 m ( which includes pit depth +4m and extrapolated depth is another 16m). The total geological resource of quartz in the lease area are of the order of about 15,99,787 MT up to depth of 20 depth Of Categorization of Reserves as indicated below since the entire area consists of sheet rock :

S.No Area details Area(m2)/Reserves(M3) 1 Lease area 7.72 Ha. 2 Mineral bearing area 4,200m2 3 Total geological reserves of quartz up to 20 16,00,187 MT m. depth 4 Recoverable reserves of quartz of the total 16,00,187 MT resources

1.8 Mining Methodology a) Method of Mining: The quarrying activity requires separation of rock mass from the parental rock which is hard. The quartz quarrying activity occasionally requires dislodging of rock mass and obtaining smaller size stones, easy to handle and crushing by the end user. In order to mine this rock and to produce crushable sizes of quartz stone, usage of explosives and blasting become occasionally necessary. For this purpose, the proponent intends to apply to the District Collector for using small quantities of explosive and manage blasting operations by employing a qualified blaster. The quarry operator engages tractor mounted small compressors with two jack hammers for drilling blast holes with the required spacing and burden. The drill holes of 32 mm dia. are drilled to an average depth of 1.5M. with a spacing of 1.5 M and burden of 1.0 M. The maximum number of holes at one phase of blasting will be 20- 25. Once the drill holes are kept ready, the licensed blaster takes over further operations. The holes are charged with 25mm. dia. AN based slurry explosives. Stemming is done with locally available clay. The holes are connected with millisecond delay detonators for ensuring maximum fragmentation and fired by using a dynamo type exploder. Before firing the shots, the entire area of a minimum 500 meters radius is cleared of men and machinery and all possible entry points for men or animals are posted with well informed guards and the final firing with a dynamo exploder is done after clearance is obtained from all the points. After a lapse of sufficient time, the blasted face is inspected and all clear signal is given to the guards. Whistles and Red flags are used for the operations. It is natural that large boulders are occasionally produced. These cannot be handled easily for loading and also the crushers cannot crush. Rock breakers are used generally.

Mechanisation: A poclain is used to remove the broken material from the quarry faces and to load into tractors or tippers, depending on the distance of transportation to the crusher. Rock breakers are finding increased deployment. Manual: Workers are engaged for drilling, digging, cleaning the working faces, loading and other miscellaneous purposes.

Schematic Diagram/Flow Chart: Parent rock ↓ Producing of rock aggregates with sizes of 0.25 to 0.75 m by crow bars and hammering or occasional drilling and controlled blasting. ↓ Breaking up of the bigger size blocks to ≈150mm size rock aggregates by manual hammering/Rock breakers/Secondary blasting. ↓ The ≈150mm size rock material shall be sent as crusher feed ↓ From crusher the resulting end products are with 40mm, 20mm, 12mm size road metal and rock dust.

S.No Item Nos. 1 Poclain (1.0 m3 bucket capacity) 1 2 Jack hammer with 32mm drill rods 3 3 50 CFM-AIR Compressor 1 4 Trucks/tippers(10MT capacity) 2

1.9 Utilities: a. Power: The power connections are available at komarolu and the proponent gets the power from there.

About 200L of Diesel/ day is required for the operation of the machinery

Water: At mine site, water is used for: Wet drilling Water sprinkling on quarry roads and approach roads for dust suppression. The mine requires about 15KLD of water. This includes water for drilling (about 2.0- 2.5 KLD), dust suppression (10-12 KLD) and domestic purposes (1.5-2 KLD). For drinking purpose of the persons working in the mine and for sprinkling purposes, water supply is drawn from the nearby bore wells adjacent quarry & agricultural fields on contract basis by tankers..

1.10 Mining program for the next 3years: The proposed production of road metal for the next three years is at the rate of about 75,000 MT/annum. Waste material generated from the production will be minimal. 1.11 Man Power Requirement for Mining Operations: Since it is a B’ Category mine, the following personnel shall be employed Technical, skilled and semi skilled personnel a. Mines manager (Permit Manager) -1 b. Blaster cum Mate -1 c. Excavator operators -2 d. Compressor operator -2 e. Tipper operators -3 f. Drillers -6 g. Helpers -6 h Cutters -6 i. watch man -1 10 workers per day are required for handling and allied works during the mining operations.

2.0 Baseline Environment: The environmental quality in the surrounding area of mine before commencement of operation serves as the baseline status and also for identification of environmental impacts/concerns corresponding to project area.

2.1 Climate Scenario: The area falls in coastal region of Nellore District and experiences maximum temperature of 39°C in summer during April & May, while minimum temperature of 14.5°C in winter during December & January. The average rain fall is of the order of 900 mm/year. The area experiences maximum rain fall due to SW monsoon during June–September. It also receives rain fall due to NE monsoon during November and December.

2.2 Water environment: At mine site, water is used for wet drilling, Water sprinkling on quarry roads and approach roads for dust suppression. The mine requires about 15KLD of water. This includes water for drilling (about 2.0- 2.5 KLD), dust suppression (10-12 KLD) and domestic purposes (1.5-2 KLD). For drinking purpose of the persons working in the mine and for sprinkling purposes, water supply is drawn from the nearby bore wells adjacent quarry &agricultural fields on contract basis by tankers. The mining operations are manual/semi-mechanized opencast method of mining. 2.3 Land Environment: a. Seismicity: The mining lease area falls in the low specific velocity zone of the peninsular India and as a result it comes under a low Seismic zone. b. Soil: The surrounding areas of the mine site are occupied by fertile soils. c. Land use pattern: The mine area is covered with sheet and boulders of quarz and schists. All around the lease area the country is with flat topography covered with cultivable soils. In the surrounding area paddy, sugar cane, ground nut and pulses are grown. The quarry land belongs to the Govt. of . d. Land degradation: The mining operations to win quartz from the lease area necessarily result in forming a pit in the pre existing rocky area. After complete excavation of the quarry, the pre existing surface levels of the mine area go below the ground level. Such degraded area will be reclaimed by filling and leveling and can be used for greenery development. Alternatively, the pits will be properly fenced off and used as ground water recharge pits. The rest of the area will planted with trees. e. Solid waste storage: The quartz mining is on the sheet rock structure. In this quarry waste mainly consisting of schist about 7,000 MT will result, which will be stored in the SW side and used for back filling.

2.4 Flora & Fauna: As the area is generally a plain country within the 5 Km radius of the quarry site, no wild animals are found. As the area is agricultural, paddy fields and trees of all sizes and bushes are a common sight in the region.

2.5 Human settlement: Population Projection: The population of the villages falling within 5 Km radius as indicated below: S.No Village Population 1 Nallaguntla 951 2 Komarolu 1024 3 Giddaluru 1074 4 Thamballapalli 1059 5 Thaticherla 9055 6 Idamakallu 1779 (source:Censes 2011)

2.6 Socio-Economic study: Socioeconomic environment of mine area includes demography, basic amenities like housing, health care services, transportation, education and cultural activities etc. The people living in neighboring villages are mainly depending on agriculture.5-10% of the village people thrive on occupational professions such as carpentry, goldsmith, blacksmith, pottery etc. The persons working in the mine stay in the nearby villages. The surrounding villages are well developed and are well connected to the major Cities/ towns like Ongole, Giddalur, Markapuram, Kurnool etc. by well maintained black topped wide roads. The cities/ towns which are nearby are well equipped with good educational, hospital and communication facilities.

2.7 Air environment: Only machines like jackhammer, Poclain and tippers will be in operation. The fumes/smoke generated will be within permissible limits. Blasting will be occasional and the blasting fumes will dissipate in a short time. The dust generated due to drilling will be suppressed by sprinkling water. Dust produced due to blasting will settle down in a short time. Since human habitations are far away, the impact of quarrying will be negligible.

2.8 Noise environment:

In the quarry operations, noise pollution will be due to jackhammer drilling, blasting, stone breaking and vehicular movements. The noise pollution because of blasting will be contained by adopting systematic blasting methods especially in view of the fact that blasting is carried out only for breaking and as such minimum quantity of explosive will be used. As far as possible rock breakers will be used and blasting will be resorted to when unavoidable.

3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN Breakup for the next five years of the EMP as follows. EMP BUDGET S. Descripti Particulars Capital Recurring Remarks No on Cost Cost(INR (INR) ) 1 Nose masks,110nos - 8000 Replaceable(co st can increase with time) Marking Cloth for drillers - 3000 Issued Air 60nos. periodically Pollution Gunny bags for covering the - 1000 When needed surface of jackhammer holes Road wetting and plant 88000 Water tanker water feeding hire Plantation on road side plus 1,60,000 12000 Replace the maintenance non- surviving plants

2 Construction of garland 25000 2000 Maintenance drains only Construction of check dams 40000 5000 Maintenance only Water Construction of retaining 60000 10000 Maintenance Pollution wall for waste dump only 3 Noise Maintenance of machinery 80000 10000 Pollution Tools & tackles PPE’s like Ear muffs-Rs 15 8000 3000 Once in six each months 4 Occupati Providing First aid kits and 7000 3000 Once in year. onal fire extingshers-2 No’s Health & Providing protective 80000 9000 In addition to Safety equipments to employees allocation (gloves, safety shoes, shown in helmets) air/noise pollution Training and Publicity of - 10000 Sign boards, Safety awareness safety Slogans Programs. Periodical medical checkup 100000 3000 Once in a year and supply of medicines- and supply of Rs. 200 per head medicines for every three months

5 Environm Amblent air quality studies- - 20000 ental Once in six months- 3 monitorin locations g MoEF/NABL Water quality studies- Once - 6000 recognized a year – 2 Locations laboratories Noise studies-Once in six - 4000 months- 3 Locations Vibration studies- Once in - 4000 year- 1 location TOTAL BUDGET : 8,60,000 2,10,000 3.1 Air pollution control:

The eco environment of the area becomes important especially in the mining areas and settlements around and as such suitable measures to protect the habitants/workers and environment from the dust emissions from the mining activity and smoke emissions from the vehicular movements will be regulated as below: Dust masks will be provided to the workers Frequent water sprinkling on the haul roads, muck pile, dump area etc Drill rods will be covered with wet gunny cloth Regular maintenance of machinery and vehicles.

3.2 Water pollution control: The quarry operations do not affect the water regime in the area, because they are located close to ground level and much above the ground water levels and also far away from the water bodies.

Mitigation measures:

Care shall be taken to avoid fuel spillage and all the used oils from the vehicles and machinery will be sent for recycling. Trees will be grown on the boundary of lease area.

3.3 Noise pollution control:

Proper and regular maintenance of machinery and vehicles. Workers will be provided with ear muffs and ear plugs. Speed limit of the vehicles in the mine area will be maintained at 25kmph.

3.4 Green belt development:

The green belt development is an effective way to check pollution and their dispersions into the surrounding areas.

The proponent has plans to develop greenery on the lease boundary, approach/ haul roads, in the non-potential area, around the dump yard, around the mine pit after complete extraction of the material and over the mine pit after reclamation.

3.5 Impact on Land & soil Environment and its Mitigation Measures:

The land degradation resulting from the mining activity will be mitigated by reclamation and greenery development.

Solid waste management:

Mineral Waste and Overburden produced during mining will be stacked on SW Side at the non potential Zones in the lease hold area .and the dumps will be stabilized with retaining wall .waste can also be used for filling back after cessation of quarrying.

3.6 Measures to improve Socio-economic conditions:

The mining project is with low capital layout and provides employment to 20 persons directly and equal number indirectly. Due to mining the State Govt., will get substantial income in the form of Royalty and sales tax. Such income will be made use for the community developmental activities such as road laying, house construction for poor and for the improvement of educational, medical and communication facilities in the area.

The mining operations will not disturb /relocate any village, hence there is no need for resettlement. Thus no adverse impacts are anticipated due to mining.

Project Benefits: The project provides employment to 20 non-technical cadres for carrying out mining operations. The lessee proposes to employ the local people. In addition, there will be business opportunities to serve the mine workers and mine operations. This together will enhance economic status of the local village people.

3.7 occupational safety and Health management:

The proponent will get the mine workers trained as per V.T. rules about all the safety measures to be taken up during mining activity. The safety measures in the following categories are adhered to very strictly during mining operations.

General work place health and safety. Use of explosives. Physical hazards Fitness for work Travel and remote site health Noise and vibration

General work place health and safety: The following safety measures will taken at work place Providing protective equipment (PPE) like safety helmets and foot wear to workers. In addition ear, eye, and hand protection devises (ear muffs, goggles, gloves) will be provided. Training of employees on the recognition and prevention of occupational hazards specifically applicable to quarrying work. Periodical medical examinations of all workers, so that adverse effects of mining may be detected in its early stage. Medical records of each individual will be maintained.

Use of explosives: Blasting operations will be carried as per MMR,1961 and all necessary safety precautions will be taken under able supervision. 3.8 Post Project monitoring:

Project monitoring includes the periodic analysis of air, dust, ground water samples. Ground water and soil samples at representative locations within and nearby the mine site shall be periodically collected and analyzed to detect the contaminations, if any. In the event of any contamination noticed, concerned authorities shall be notified immediately and appropriate corrective measures in consultation with an approved consultant shall be initiated.

3.9 monitoring strategy:

Monitoring of various environmental parameters will be ensured by employing an accredited agency to monitor the ambient air quality, noise levels and water quality. Frequency of monitoring will be as per the guide lines of AP Pollution Control Board and MoEF & SEIAA

3.9.1 Ambient Air Monitoring: Ambient air in and outside mine area and in the surrounding villages of quarry will be monitored at regular intervals by. Any deviation from the standard, predicted/expected values will be monitored and necessary measures to correct will be taken up.

3.9.2 Noise level monitoring:

The accredited agency will also monitor noise level and advise to take protection measures. For this purpose a Dosi meter will be used. Noise surveillance is for the benefit of the workers well being and to keep the track of machinery wear and tear.

Noise level in the work environment monitoring will be conducted periodically. If any deviation than the permissible levels as per MoEF & SEIAA are observed and necessary corrective/ control measures will be taken.

3.9.3 Monitoring of water quality:

No, contamination of ground water and surface water is envisaged as the mining is on level ground and no effluents will be generated/ released. However the ground & surface water samples will be collected periodically and tested for any change in water quality. 3.10 Budget for Environmental Protection Measures:

3.11 Reclamation & Rehabilitation:

The proposal for the reclamation of the degraded land due to mining will be taken up only after complete excavation. For this the Lessee will take necessary steps as directed by PCB/IBM.

As there are no habitations within the lease area, the Rehabilitation question does not arise. `` 3.12 Progressive mine Closure plan:

Mined out land: The waste material produced during mining will be stacked in an inactive part of the lease area. At the end of the mining activity, the mined out land will be refilled and greenery will be developed. Alternatively, the remaining quarry pi will be fenced off and used as a ground water recharge structure.

Afforestation: Greenery will be developed around the lease periphery and the mined out portion at the termination of operations Infrastructure: Since the mining is an ongoing processes, only existing infrastructure will be utilized and no new infrastructure developments are proposed. After completion of mining, the temporary structures will be dismantled and disposed.

Disposal of Mining Machinery: Mining Machinery like the loader, Jack hammer drill etc. utilized in the mine will be disposed off as scrap after they serve expected life or become inefficient.

Safety and Security: All the statutory precautions will be implemented by the lessee for the safety and security of the personnel working in the mine.

Disaster Management and Risk management: The mining lease area represents a part of low seismic velocity zone of Nellore District. The risk of disasters is therefore minimal.

Care and Maintenance during Temporary closure of the mine: For any eventuality, if the mine is temporarily closed, the Lessee will appoint watch and ward throughout and will ensure the safety and security of the mine. The technical personnel will be paid salaries. The workers are from the nearby villages and mostly dependent on agriculture.

4.0 CONCLUSIONS: In the light of the above explanations, in order to meet the basic requirements such as Mine project to produce Quartz, which can be used in specialized industries like Ceramics, Glass, Steel, Foundries, Ferro Alloys, Electronics, etc. , which are essential for the growth of the Nation. Hence Quartz is also essential raw material on par with cement. It is difficult to imagine a Society without consumption of cement.

Therefore, the present activity becomes an essential activity contributing for supply of the raw material. As minerals are site specific, there is no other way out except winning the mineral at the place of its existence. Keeping in view of the environmental parameters one should strike a balance in achieving both the objectives by way of following all measures to cut down the possible environmental degradation due to mining. In Andhra Pradesh statistically about 10 million tons of Quartz aggregate is required per year for all its developmental activities. Such quarries which are in limited number with limited production capacity have to be encouraged to generate not only the required material but also to provide employment to the people. To conclude, it has to be stated this Quartz Mine of 7.72 ha in Nallagunta village is not likely to adversely affect the environment as all necessary steps to mitigate will be taken according to this EMP.