Impact on Surface Water Quality due to the Disposal of Tailings from Iron Ore Mines in India

699-704Tailings from iron ore mines rep resent one of the biggest waste handling problems. By the end of this century in India 27 Mt/y iron ore tailings will be generated. Provision of tailing pond for the containment is a must. But it does not give the full guarantee of environmental compliance. Impacts on surface water quality due to the discharge of tailings have been described. Serious concern in this regard is the direct discharge of tailings into rivers. Another cause of pollution is the discharge of excess supernatant from tailing pond into a water course. A case study of an iron ore mine has been described with respect to its importance of geological formation, location, natural drainage system, study sites, etc. Methodology adopted for collection of samples and analysis have been discussed. The decanted effluent from the tailing pond was being di scharged into the nearby river through a nallah. Characteristics of the effluent, water quality of upstream, confluence point and downstream river have been discussed. In general the pollutant contribution to the surface water body in terms of TSS, Fe and Mn were more pertinent. Other trace metals were found to contaminate the surface water though these were found to be within the permiss ible limit of surface water quality standards. Waste water management to prevent water pollution can be achieved by recycling of decanted effluent from tailing pond for process use, with certain treatment for removal of TSS, Fe and other contaminants. Even for discharging these effluents to natural water body it is desirable to remove these contaminants